Plug-in power adapters and methods of implementing a plug-in power adapter

ABSTRACT

A plug-in power adapter is described. The plug-in power adapter may comprise a plug having a plurality of prongs, wherein a first prong of the plurality of prongs is adapted to receive power; a transformer coupled to receive the power by way of the first prong of the plurality of prongs, wherein the transformer is adapted to generate a power signal on a power signal line coupled to the transformer; an input portion comprising a control button, wherein the control button is accessible by a user of the plug-in power adapter; and a plurality of contact elements on a surface of the plug-in power adapter and accessible by the user of the plug-in power adapter; wherein a contact element of the plurality of contact elements is adapted to receive a control signal.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicant claims priority to provisional application U.S. Ser. No.62/480,389, filed on Apr. 1, 2017, to application Ser. No. 15/645,745,filed on Jul. 10, 2017, to application Ser. No. 15/823,385, filed onNov. 27, 2017, and to application Ser. No. 16/940,066, filed on Jul. 27,2020, the entire applications of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention relates generally to poweradapters, and in particular, to a plug-in power adapter and a method ofimplementing a plug-in power adapter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Power adapters, which control the application of power to a device, arean important part of any residential or commercial building, and canprovide beneficial control of a load attached to the power adapter, suchas timing control and other features such as dimming. As power adapterscontinue to advance, additional functionality may be available to auser. However, replacing a power adapter can come with significantexpense. In addition to the cost of replacing the power adapter, it maybe necessary to pay for the professional installation of the poweradapter, such as in the case of an in-wall installed power adapter thatis coupled to wires in a wall of a residential or commercial building.

Accordingly, circuits, devices, systems and methods that enable a userto implement different power adapters are beneficial.

SUMMARY

A plug-in power adapter is described. The plug-in power adapter maycomprise a plug having a plurality of prongs, wherein a first prong ofthe plurality of prongs is adapted to receive power; a transformercoupled to receive the power by way of the first prong of the pluralityof prongs, wherein the transformer is adapted to generate a power signalon a power signal line coupled to the transformer; an input portioncomprising a control button, wherein the control button is accessible bya user of the plug-in power adapter and enables communication with theplug-in power adapter; and a plurality of contact elements on a surfaceof the plug-in power adapter and accessible by the user of the plug-inpower adapter; wherein a contact element of the plurality of contactelements is adapted to receive a control signal.

According to another embodiment, a plug-in power adapter may comprise aplug having a plurality of prongs, wherein a first prong of theplurality of prongs is adapted to receive power; a transformer coupledto receive the power by way of the first prong of the plurality ofprongs, wherein the transformer is adapted to generate a power signal ona power signal line coupled to the transformer; a control circuitcoupled to receive the power signal; a wireless communication circuitcoupled to the control circuit; and a plurality of contact elements thatis accessible on the plug-in power adapter; wherein a contact element ofthe plurality of contact elements is adapted to receive a controlsignal.

A plug-in power adapter may comprise a plug having a plurality ofprongs, wherein a first prong of the plurality of prongs is adapted toreceive power; a transformer coupled to receive the power from the firstprong of the plurality of prongs, wherein the transformer is adapted togenerate a power signal on a power signal line coupled to thetransformer; a control circuit coupled to receive the power signal; awireless communication circuit adapted to receive wireless communicationsignals according to a wireless communication protocol; a plurality ofcontact elements comprising a first contact element that is adapted toreceive a first control signal; and wherein the control circuit receivesa second control signal by way of the wireless communication circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a modular power adapter;

FIG. 2 is another block diagram of a modular power adapter;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a wireless communication module of themodular power adapter of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an expanded view of elements of an in-wallmodular power adapter that is adapted to be installed in a junction boxand to receive a wall plate;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another in-wall modular power adapter;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of another in-wall modular power adapterhaving a metal plate comprising flanges for attaching the in-wallmodular power adapter to a junction box;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary attachment element enablingthe attachment of a control module to a portion of the switching module;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the rear of a control module;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the front of a control module having apaddle-type toggle switch;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the front of a control module having apush-button toggle switch;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the front of a control module having apush-button toggle switch and a sensor;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the front of a control module having apush-button toggle switch and a display;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the front of a control module having aplurality of pre-programmed or programmable buttons;

FIG. 14 is an expanded view of a modular power adapter having a displayon a switching module;

FIG. 15 is an expanded view of a plug-in type modular power adapterhaving a cover for a control module;

FIG. 16 is an expanded view of a plug-in type modular power adapterhaving a control module attached to a switching module;

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a junction box having a switching moduleadapted to interface with a control module of a wall plate;

FIG. 18 is a front plan view of a wall plate having a control module;

FIG. 19 is a rear plan view of the wall plate of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a rear plan view of a wall plate having two openings and twocontrol modules;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a system having a plurality of poweradapters implementing different communication protocols.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing a method of implementing a modular poweradapter;

FIG. 23 is a flow chart showing a method of controlling power adaptersusing a plurality of different communication interfaces;

FIG. 24 is a map showing the division of the geographical area of themap into a plurality of regions;

FIG. 25 is a table showing the definition of the plurality of regionsand associated tables with the regions;

FIG. 26 is an example of a table that could be implemented as any one ofthe tables of FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a switch of a module that is movable toprovide a signal to a switching module to switch states;

FIG. 28 is a plan view of a power adapter having a cover for a modulebetween a pair of outlets;

FIG. 29 is a plan view of a power adapter having a cover (for a modulebetween a pair of outlets) that is removed;

FIG. 30 is a plan view of a power adapter comprising a module having aplurality of connectors;

FIG. 31 is a plan view of a power adapter having a wirelesscommunication module;

FIG. 32 is an expanded view of a power adapter, module and wall plateaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 33 is another expanded view of the power adapter and module of FIG.32 rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise;

FIG. 34 is another expanded view of a power adapter, module and wallplate according to one embodiment;

FIG. 35 is another expanded view of the power adapter and module of FIG.34 rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise;

FIG. 36 is an exemplary module having an outlet;

FIG. 37 is an exemplary module having a wireless communication circuitand a motion detector;

FIG. 38 is an exemplary module having a wireless communication circuitand a user interface;

FIG. 39 is an exemplary user interface having control actuators thatcould be implemented in the embodiment of FIG. 38;

FIG. 40 is an exemplary user interface having voice recognition thatcould be implemented in the embodiment of FIG. 38;

FIG. 41 is an exemplary user interface having a touch screen interfacethat could be implemented in the embodiment of FIG. 38;

FIG. 42 is an expanded view of a power adapter having a module and awall plate according to another embodiment;

FIG. 43 is a block diagram of a power adapter enabling the use of adummy module according to one embodiment;

FIG. 44 is a flowchart showing a method of implementing a module in apower adapter;

FIG. 45 is a diagram showing the pairing of a power adapter with acontrol device;

FIG. 46 is a diagram showing the pairing of another power adapter with acontrol device;

FIG. 47 is a diagram showing paired power adapters on a first level of abuilding;

FIG. 48 is a diagram showing paired power adapters on a second level ofa building;

FIG. 49 is a flow chart showing a method of implementing a plurality ofpower adapters;

FIG. 50 is a block diagram of a power adapter having a test circuit fortesting connections to the power adapter;

FIG. 51 is a block diagram of a circuit for testing the connectionsassociated with a power adapter;

FIG. 52 is another block diagram of a circuit for testing theconnections associated with a power adapter;

FIG. 53 is a block diagram a plurality of outlets having differentconnects to power lines;

FIG. 54 is a block diagram showing a test module for testing theconnections associated with a power adapter; and

FIG. 55 is a flow diagram showing a testing the operation of a poweradapter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The circuits, systems and methods set forth below and shown in thefigures relate to power adapters, which may include “in-wall” adaptersthat are hard wired to electrical wires in a wall (such as to wires in ajunction box for example) or plug-in adapters having prongs of a plugthat are inserted into an electrical outlet. The circuits and methodsprovide a modular power adapter (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereelements within or on another side of a device are shown in dashedlines), and split the functionality between a first portion, which couldbe a switching portion or module for enabling the switching of power toa device controlled by the modular power adapter and may be wired into ajunction box, and a second portion, which may be a control portion ormodule that controls the switching of power received by a switchingportion and applied to a device receiving power from the power adapter(such as a porch light controlled by a power adapter hard wired into ajunction box or a lamp plugged into a plug-in adapter for example, wherethe porch light and the lamp are commonly known as a load). The poweradapter may be implemented such that the first portion has switchingelements that control the application of power to a load while thesecond portion provides signals to the first portion to control theswitching elements. The second portion may be removably coupled to thefirst portion by way of attachment elements, where the second portionmay provide electrical signals to the first portion by way of contactelements of the second portion, such as pogo pins or other flexiblecontacts or rigid contacts, coupled to corresponding contact elements ofthe first portion, such as contact pads. Alternatively, the contactelements could be placed on the first portion and the contact pads couldbe placed on the second element. However, it should be understood thatany type of contact arrangement for providing electrical signals fromthe second portion to the first portion could be implemented. Inaddition to contact elements, guide or alignment elements could be usedon the switching module or the control module to align the modules.

The modular power adapter is implemented to enable any one of aplurality of control modules (shown for example in FIGS. 3-8) to becoupled to the switching module, and control the switching operation ofthe switching module. By way of example, and without limitation, thecontrol module could be a toggle switch (such as a paddle-type toggleswitch as shown in FIG. 4) with a dimming function. The control modulecould optionally include a wireless module for enabling wireless controlby way of any short range wireless connection, such as a circuit forimplementing any variation of a Bluetooth protocol or a Near FieldCommunication (NFC) protocol, or any local wireless network, such as aWiFi network or a wide area network, such as a cellular network. Itshould be understood that the wireless module could be a removablemodule coupled to the switching module or the control module, enablingchanging a wireless communication protocol used by the modular poweradapter. According to another implementation, the control modulecomprises a motion detector having an on/off button. A furtherimplementation may comprise a simple on/off switch, which may comprise astatus LED light to indicate the state of the load that is under controlof the switch, such as a porch light that may not be visible, and anoptional wireless control circuit and/or an optional display. Accordingto further implementations, any of the control portions may comprise atimer, which may have pre-programmed buttons or programmable buttons. Abackup battery to maintain any timing patterns, such as schedules forapplying power to a device, may be implemented on one or more of theswitching portion or the control portion. The timing patterns include atleast one on and off time, and may be associated with a certain day ordate or group of days or dates. According to one implementation, adisplay would be implemented as a part of the switching module, whereother interface elements could be a part of a control module or splitbetween the switching module and the control module. According toanother implementation, the display could be a part of the controlmodule.

The control module could be attached to the switching module using anysuitable attachment elements. For example, the bottom of the controlmodule could include a flange that could be inserted into a flangereceiving portion of the switching module in a “ski-boot” fashion, whereattachment element on one or more of the top or sides of the controlmodule may be used to secure the control module to the switching module.The attachment element could be any type of latching element or threadedelement that could receive a screw to secure the control module to theswitching module. The attachment element could also include a flange,snap, strap, magnet, Velcro portion, or any other means for securing thecontrol module to the switching module.

The control module may have a flange extending from the sides around theperimeter or at least a portion of the perimeter to enable a userinterface portion, which may include the display and any controlactuators or elements, to extend through a recess in a wall plate. Forexample, many conventional switch devices have a user interface portionof approximately 3.2 centimeters (cm) by 6.6 cm that extends through arecess or opening in the wall plate that is secured to the switch deviceand covers the junction box. The perimeter of the opening in the wallplate may abut the flange of the control module to help secure thecontrol module to the switching module. That is, the user interfaceportion of the control module beyond the flange could extend through theopening of the wall plate. Alternatively, the control module couldextend into a recess of the switching module, where the perimeter of theopening of the wall plate would align with a flange or outer surface ofa recessed portion of the switching module. According to otherimplementations, the control module could be removed while the wallplate is secured to the switching device. In either case, the modularnature of the modular power adapter may not be evident to a user. For amodular power adapter that is a plug-in device, the control module could(i) function as a cover for the switching module, (ii) could includeopenings to expose portions of the control module under the cover, or(iii) could be included under a cover generally having no otherfunctionality.

A front surface of the power adapter, such as a surface of the recess ofthe switching module in an implementation having a recess, would includecontact elements that would be coupled to corresponding contacts on thecontrol portion to enable the control of a device using control signalscoupled from the control device to the power adapter. While a physicalelectrical connection is shown by way of example, it should also beunderstood that communication of control signals or other signals couldbe achieved by another means, such as a wireless connection establishedbetween corresponding wireless communication circuits in the switchingportion and the control portion. That is, in addition to any wirelessconnection between the control module and a wireless communicationdevice, such as a smart phone or tablet computer for example, there maybe a wireless connection, such as a Near Field Communication (NFC)connection, between the control module and the switching module.Further, it should be noted that the control module could be configuredto provide multi-mode communication with communication devices externalto the control module, such as multiple modules including both a WiFimodule and a Bluetooth module for example. That is, a user could providecontrol signals from a communication device such as a smart phone ortablet computer using either a WiFi connection or a Bluetoothconnection. The control module and/or the switching module could includea connector for receiving a portable memory device, such as a USB thumbdrive, to download data, including timing patterns, operationalinformation (e.g. at least one of time, data or location), firmwareupdates, or any other data which may enable the operation of the modularpower adapter.

According to another implementation, the control module could beincorporated as a part of the wall plate as shown for example in FIGS.11-14, enabling the implementation of a single switch module, wheredifferent control modules can provide different functionality. Thesingle switch module could a simple toggle switch (or a paddle-typeswitch that fills the approximately 3.2 cm by 6.6 cm opening of the wallplate), where different control modules would interface (directly orwirelessly) with the switch module. For example, contacts on the controlmodule (on the wall plate) could align with contracts on the switchmodule adjacent to the switch portion. The different control modulescould provide different functionality, such as dimmer functionality ortimer functionality. Some control modules could provide multiplefunctionality. The control module could be an integral part (i.e. notremovable) of the wall switch plate, where a user would replace anentire wall plate to obtain the functionality of a different controlmodule. Alternatively, the control module could be removably attached tothe wall plate, where the user could remove one control module andreplace it with another control module. According to anotherimplementation, the wall plate could be configured to receive multiplecontrol modules. For example, a control module could be placed on eitherside of the opening of the wall plate, where a second set of contactelements would be placed on the opposite side of the switch module ofthe first set of contact elements.

One benefit of the implementation of wall plates with control portionsis that a single type of switch module could be implemented, and wouldbe functional, without a control module. That is, if the basic switchmodule were implemented, and a conventional wall plate with no controlmodule were used, a user could still use the basic switch module, whichmay only have on/off functionality. While the contact elements would notbe used, a user could later add functionality of the basic switch moduleby using a wall plate that has a control module. Such an arrangementcould also work with an outlet, where timing or dimmer functionalitycould be provided for one or more of the receptacles of the outlet.Control modules could also be implemented in wall plates having morethan one opening, where different control modules can be implemented forswitching modules associated with different openings of the wall plate.

In order to prevent any unauthorized use of a power adapter, such as awireless power adapter, or to prevent the use of unauthorized controlmodules which may not operate safely with the switching module, one ormore security features may be employed that would require that thecontrol module and the switching module be paired. For example, it maybe necessary to authenticate the control module by provide a securitycode from the control module to the switching module to ensure that thecontrol module is authorized to operate with the switching module. Forexample, the security code could include a unique serial number and maybe encrypted. The security code may also include a field that indicatesthe type of control module and provides information related to thefunctionality of the control module. A user may also be required toperform a certain operation when replacing the control module, such asimplementing a reset procedure using reset buttons on one or both of thecontrol module and the switching module. During a reset procedure, datamay be downloaded from the control module to the switching module orvice versa to enable the switching module to function with the controlmodule. The data may be operational data (i.e. data associated withfeatures controlled by the switching module), or security oridentification data (i.e. data indicating the identity of the controlmodule or authorizing the use of the control module).

According to another implementation, a single controller can providemultimodal control of different control devices and different sets ofcontrol devices, such as the modular power adapters as described aboveor other timers or lighting control devices. The single controller couldbe for example a smart phone, a tablet computer or any other computer ordevice enabling a wireless connection to multiple control modules by wayof different wireless protocols. For example, the controller couldcommunicate with a first set of control devices by way of a firstwireless connection and a second set of control devices by way of asecond set of connections. The controller could communicate with anynumber of groups of devices on corresponding sets of communicationprotocols.

By way of example, a first set of devices could communicate with acontrol device by way of a Bluetooth connection, where the devices couldbe implemented in a Bluetooth mesh network. The devices of a first setcould be implemented in different locations, such as an indoor device,an outdoor device, a device controlling a specific device, such as awater heater or an under-cabinet lighting fixture. A second set ofdevices could include devices that are controlled by the controllerusing another local area network, such as a WiFi network. The second setof appliances controlled by the devices could include the types ofdevices that a user may desire to access from a remote location, such asa curling iron, a coffee machine, a particular lamp or awireless-controlled door lock. That is, these devices may be devicesthat a user may wish to check to make sure that they have been turnedoff, or the types of devices that a user may wish to turn on while theyare away. A third set of devices could be other specialty devices suchas pool controls or specialty lighting. These devices could becontrolled by an appropriate wireless connection. The controller couldalso control devices by way of a proprietary network, such as connectionusing a Z-Wave or a ZigBee controller. That is, the system could beintegrated with an existing system employed by the user, such as aZ-Wave or ZigBee system for example.

One beneficial aspect of the system is that a single controller cancontrol a plurality of devices using a plurality of differentconnections implementing different wireless communication protocols. Byimplementing a variety of different communication protocols, it ispossible to implement the different devices with the most suitablecommunication protocol from a single controller. For example, while aWiFi enables remote access, it may also be more susceptible to hackingor other security issues. However, a Bluetooth connection, because ofits short-range nature, may have fewer hacking or security issues, butis generally not remotely accessible.

While the specification includes claims defining the features of one ormore implementations of the invention that are regarded as novel, it isbelieved that the circuits and methods will be better understood from aconsideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. Whilevarious circuits and methods are disclosed, it is to be understood thatthe circuits and methods are merely exemplary of the inventivearrangements, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed within thisspecification are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as abasis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching oneskilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements invirtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms andphrases used herein are not intended to be limiting, but rather toprovide an understandable description of the circuits and methods.

Turning first to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a modular power adapter isshown. In particular, a modular power adapter 100 comprises a switchingmodule 102 for controlling the application of power to a load (such as alight, appliance, or other device receiving power by way of an outlet,also known as a receptacle, or other contact elements applying power ofthe switching module) and a control module 104 that is in communicationwith the switching module. The switching module 102 is coupled toreceive a power input signal, which may be power from an outlet to whichthe modular power adapter is plugged in or power from wiring in aresidential or commercial building in which the modular power adapter isimplemented for example. The output power is provided to an output suchas an outlet into which a plug of an appliance or other device can beplugged or wires that are coupled to a device such as a light fixturefor example. A light, appliance or other device receiving output powerfrom the output is commonly called a load. The control module 104 mayreceive one or more of user interface input signals and wirelesssignals, as will be described in more detail below. While the modularpower adapter 100 is shown as having two modules, it should beunderstood that the modular power adapter could contain more modules,where one of the switching module and the control module could bedivided in sub-modules. For example, the control module could include acontrol portion and a wireless communication portion. That is, thecontrol portion may include user interface elements, such as buttons ora display, and may be adapted to receive an optional wirelesscommunication module.

Turning now to FIG. 2, another block diagram of a modular power adapteris shown. The block diagram of FIG. 2 shows elements of a modular poweradapter, such as the modular power adapter of FIG. 1 for example. Asshown in FIG. 2, a control circuit 202 is coupled to various elements ofthe switching module 102 to enable communication with the control module104 and control the operation of the switching module. A transformer 204is coupled to an input port 206 to receive an input voltage that enablesproviding power to a load by way of an output of the switching module.The input port comprises contact elements that could be for examplewires or connector screws that are wired into a junction box or could beprongs of a plug adapted to be inserted into electrical outlet in a wallof a residential or commercial building. The transformer 204 providespower to the control circuit 202 by way of a power line 207. The controlcircuit also receives a ground potential at a ground terminal 208, whichmay be another contact element such as a ground wire or ground contact,or a ground prong of a plug of the switching module for example. Thecontrol circuit 202 may also receive power by way of a backup battery209 to retain any information such as operational information or timingpatterns. A different source of backup power could be implemented, suchas a capacitor for example.

An input portion 210 may be implemented to enable the input ofinformation or the selection of timing patterns (in an implementationhaving user interface elements on the switching module such as theimplementation of FIG. 14 for example), and may include a control buttonor pairing button for enabling the pairing of the switching module andthe control module as will be described in more detail in reference toFIG. 4. A memory 212 is coupled to the control circuit and may storeoperational information and timing patterns. An oscillator 213 may becoupled to the control circuit to enable the control circuit to maintaina current time. A switch 220 is coupled to receive power from thetransformer by way of a power line 222 and provide power to an output223 (which may be another contact element that is coupled to a load suchas by a wire) in response to control signals associated with a timingpattern on a line 224 from the control circuit. The output 223 may be anoutlet that receives a plug for the device controlled by the modularpower adapter (or wires or screws that can be coupled to wires in thecase of an in-wall power adaptor that are coupled to a device (i.e.load) that is powered by the power adapter).

A wireless communication circuit 226 could be used to receive variousinformation, such as operational information, programming data, orfirmware updates from the control module 104 or some other source, aswill be described in more detail below. It should be noted that theinput portion of the modular power adapter may also include theconnector for receiving the portable memory device such as a USB thumbdrive or an SD memory to download any type of data, such as operationalinformation, programming data, or firmware as will be described in moredetail below.

The switching module 102 and the control module 104 may communicate byway of a communication port 227, which may be a connector or a pluralityof contact elements, as will be described in more detail in reference toFIG. 4. The communication port 227 enables a communication link 228 witha communication port 229, which may also be a connector or a pluralityof contact elements. The communication link may comprise contactelements of the communication ports 227 and 229 to enable the transferof communication signals between the communication ports. Thecommunication link may also provide power to power elements of thecontrol module. According to some implementations, the communicationlink 228 may be a wireless communication link, where the communicationports comprise wireless communication circuits.

The control module 104 comprises a control circuit 232, which may be anytype of processing circuit for (i) receiving inputs, such as by way ofan input portion 234, and (ii) controlling the operation of the controlmodule 104. The input portion could be implemented as shown anddescribed in reference to FIGS. 9-13 for example. A battery 236 or someother source of energy such as a capacitor may be used to power thecontrol module 104 or function as a backup power source if the controlmodule 104 receives power by way of the communication port 229, ratherthan by way of a power source internal to the control module 104. Awireless communication circuit 248, which may be a wireless receiver orboth a wireless transmitter and receiver (i.e. a wireless transceiver),comprises an antenna 250. Data received by the wireless communicationcircuit 248 may be provided to the control circuit 232, or datagenerated by the control circuit 232 may be transmitted by the wirelesscommunication circuit 248. Data, such as a timing pattern or operationalinformation entered by the input portion or received by way of thewireless communication circuit 248, may be stored in a memory 242. Thewireless communication circuit 248 may be any type of receiver forreceiving wireless communication signals, such as GPS receiver, acellular receiver, a radio frequency (RF) receiver, or any type ofreceiver adapted to receive operational information, programming data orany other type of information such as software updates. The operationalinformation may be provided to the control circuit to enable theoperation of the control circuit and the implementation of the timingpatterns on the remote switching device. The wireless communicationcircuit could be a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a cellularreceiver for a cellular telephone network, or a receiver for some otherwireless network. A GPS receiver is commonly available from SiRFTechnology, Inc, for example, while a cellular receiver could beimplemented in an integrated circuit chip or module, such as a chip ormodule available from u-blox Holding AG of Thalwil, Switzerland.Therefore, actuators for entering time, date and location information inthe various implementations of programming interfaces could beeliminated with the use of a wireless communication circuit 248, whichmay be a receiver or a transceiver having both a receiver and atransmitter. While the wireless communication circuit 248 for receivingcommunication signals from a remote network such as a GPS network or acellular network is shown as a part of the control module 104, thewireless communication circuit 248 could be implemented as a part of theswitching module 102. An oscillator 244 or some other device for keepinga time for the device may be coupled to the control circuit, where acurrent time or other data may be displayed on a display 246. Whileseparate oscillators are shown in the switching module 102 and thecontrol module 104, it should be understood that a single oscillatorcould be implemented, and an oscillating signal or other signal basedupon the oscillating signal could be shared between the switching module102 and the control module 104.

The control circuit 104 may also comprise a wireless communicationcircuit 252 having an antenna 254 enabling the communication of signalswith a corresponding wireless communication circuit 226 (having anantenna 260) of the switching module by way of a wireless communicationlink 256. An example of a wireless communication circuit that could beimplemented for wireless communication circuits 226 and 252 is shown byway of example in FIG. 3. While both a physical connection fortransferring signals and/or power is provided by way of thecommunication link 228 and a wireless communication link 256 is providedby way of the corresponding wireless communication circuits 226 and 252,it should be understood that one or both of the communication linkscould be implemented. A test circuit 260 coupled to the communicationport 227 and the control circuit 202, as will be described in moredetail below in reference to FIGS. 49-53.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a wireless communicationmodule of the modular power adapter of FIG. 2 is shown. In particular,the antenna 304 receives wireless communication signals according to apredetermined wireless communication protocol. The data, which mayinclude programming data and operational information, may be sent fromthe control module to the switching module. According to otherimplementations, data may be sent from the switching module to thecontrol module. For example, power usage data associated with a devicecontrolled by the switching module may be transferred to the controlmodule. Other data, such as pairing commands and information, statusinformation, or other information, may be received from a remote serveras will be described in more detail in reference to FIG. 21. Thereceived data is coupled to a combined mixer/voltage controlledoscillator 306, the output of which is coupled to an intermediatefrequency (IF) circuit 308. Based upon outputs of the IF circuit and aphase locked loop (PLL) 310, a mixer 312 generates the received data. Ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC) 314 then generates digital datarepresenting the data received by one of the control module or theswitching module.

A control circuit of the switching module 102 or the control module 104may also provide data for transmission to the other of the switchingmodule 102 or control module 104. Data to be transmitted from thewireless communication circuit is coupled to a digital-to-analogconverter (DAC) 316, the output of which is coupled to a modulator 318which is also coupled to a PLL 320. A power amplifier 322 receives theoutput of the modulator to drive the antenna 304 and transmit the data.According to one embodiment, the data transceiver of FIG. 3 couldimplement the IEEE Specification 802.11 (WiFi) wireless communicationstandard, any Bluetooth standard, an infrared protocol, a Near FieldCommunication (NFC) standard, or any other wireless data protocol. Whilethe circuit of FIG. 3 is provided by way of example, other wireless datatransceivers could be employed according to the present invention toimplement the desired wireless communication standard.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of an expanded view of elementsof an in-wall modular power adapter that is adapted to be installed in ajunction box and to receive a wall plate is shown. According to theimplementation of FIG. 4, a junction box 402 is coupled to conduit 404having wires 406 that may be used to provide power to the modular poweradapter by way of a terminal portion 408 of the wires that extend into arecess 410 adapted to receive the modular power adapter. Flanges 412 and414 receive a screw or other attachment element by way of a threadedportion 416 to enable attaching corresponding flanges of the modularpower adapter to the flanges 412 and 414.

The switching module 102 comprises a front surface 424 that defines arecessed portion 426 extending from the front surface to a back wall427. The switching module 102 may also comprise a flange recess 428 atthe bottom of the recessed portion behind the front surface 424. As willbe described in more detail below, the flange recess 428 is adapted toreceive a corresponding flange of a control module 104. The switchingportion may also comprise an attachment element 430 adapted to becoupled to a corresponding attachment element of the control module. Theswitching module may also comprise flanges 432 having a threaded portion434 for receiving a screw to secure a wall plate to the modular poweradapter and a hole 436 for receiving a screw that can be inserted intothe threaded portion 416 and can be used to secure the switching module102 to the junction box 402.

User interface elements and other elements enable a user to implementthe switching module with a control module within the recess 426, suchas a back wall of the recess for example (or on another surfaceaccessible by a user in an implementation not having a recess). Forexample, a communication port 438, which may comprise a connector or aplurality of contact elements for example, may be implemented. Thecontact elements may be contact pads adapted to be in electrical contactwith contact elements of the control module, where the contact elementsmay be spring loaded contacts such as pogo-pins, or other flexible orspring loaded contacts that extend from a back surface of the controlmodule and align with and make electrical contact with the contact padsof the switching module. Alternatively, contact pads can be implementedon the control module and the corresponding contacts can be implementedon the back of the recess of the switching module. While the contactelements are indicated as being on the back surface of the switchingmodule and the control module, it should be understood that the contactscan be placed on other surfaces, such as a side of the switching moduleand a side of the control module.

The switching module may also comprise a control button 440, which mayfunction as a reset button or a pairing button for enabling the pairingof the control module with the switching module. The control button maybe used to reset the switching module, enabling the switching module toreceive new data associated with a control module, and therefore toenable the switching module and the control module to communicate andcontrol a device receiving power from the switching module. The controlbutton 440 could also enable a pairing function to pair an authorizedcontrol module to communicate with the switching module. That is, apairing function can be implemented, wherein a control button on each ofthe switching module and the control module can be selected to enablethe transfer of information between the control module and the switchingmodule. It may be necessary to charge the control module by coupling thecontrol module to the switching module to enable the control module toperform a reset operation of the control switch and to enable a pairingof the control module with the switching module.

The pairing operation is beneficial to ensure that only an authorizedcontrol module is implemented to prevent for example unauthorizedcontrol of a control module which may have a wireless control feature.For example, the control of the device receiving power from theswitching module may be compromised, and unauthorized use of a deviceunder the control of the switching module may occur. Further, theswitching module and the control module may communicate to enable theproper operation of a load controlled by the switching module. Forexample, a control circuit of the switching module may detect the typeof device controlled by the switching module, such as the type of lightbulb (e.g. halogen, LED, or CFL), or the number of watts that the bulbor other device draws, and therefore enables the control circuit of thecontrol module to provide different control signals to the switchingmodule to control the amount of power applied to the light bulb (such asa dimmable light bulb). That is, in addition to an implementation wherethe switching module acts as a passive device, and only receives controlsignals from a control circuit of the control device, the switchingmodule and the control module could implement a bidirectionalcommunication link according to another implementation to enable thecontrol module to understand information received by the switchingmodule and better control the device controlled by the switching module.Alternatively, the control module can detect the type or qualities ofthe light bulb by way of the communication ports of the switching moduleand the control module.

A wireless communication module 442 (shown in dashed to indicate that itmay be behind the back wall 427 of the recess) may also be implementedin the switching module. The wireless communication module 442 could befor example the wireless communication module 226 of FIG. 2 for example.A memory port 444, which may be a USB port or a port for receivinganother type of memory card, such as an SD card, may be implemented onthe switching module, and may receive any type of information, such asoperational information, timing patterns for turning the devicecontrolled by the power adaptor on or off, or other data that isbeneficial in implementing the operation of the control module. A timingpattern may include for example on and off times for a timing feature ofthe modular power adapter. While the USB port is shown on the switchingmodule, it should be understood that a USB port could instead beimplemented on the control module, or implemented on the control modulein addition to a USB port on the switching module. Wires 446 forreceiving ground and power signals providing current to a load alsoextend from the switching module. While wires are shown, contactelements adapted to receive wires in a junction box such as a screw forsecuring a wire to the switching module, could also be implemented.

The control module 104 may comprise a rear portion 450 that is insertedinto the recess 426 and a flange 452 that abuts the front surface 424. Afront surface of the flange 452 provides a surface to abut a perimeteredge 460 of an opening 462 of a wall plate 459, enabling a controlinterface 454, which may be a user interface according to theimplementations of FIGS. 9-13, to extend through an opening 462 of thewall plate. The control module 104 also comprises a flange 456 accordingto the implementation of FIG. 4, enabling the control module to beattached to the switching module using a “ski-boot” arrangement, wherethe flange is inserted into the corresponding flange recess 428 and anattachment element 458 is attached to the attachment element 430. Thecommunication port of the control module aligns with the communicationport of the switching module to enable the communication of at least oneof control signals and power between the switching module and thecontrol module. The wall plate 459 can be attached to the switchingdevice using holes 464, where the holes receive screws that can beinserted into threaded portions 434 of the flanges 432.

The dimensions of the various elements of modular power adapter areselected to enable the modular power adapter to be attached to ajunction box, such as a conventional residential junction box.Therefore, the width w_(s) of the switching module may be selected to beless than the width of a conventional residential junction box, and theheight h_(s) may be selected to be less than the height of aconventional residential junction box. A depth d_(s) of the recess 426is also selected to ensure that, when the control module is attached tothe switching module, the contact elements of the communication portsprovide an adequate electrical connection to enable the transfer of datasignals and/or power signals. That is, when the flange 452 of thecontrol module abuts the front surface 424 of the switching module, thecontact elements of the communication ports ensure that adequatepressure between contacts and contact pads will enable an electricalconnection. Also, the dimensions of back portion 450 of the controlmodule has a width w_(c) and a height h_(c) that are just slightly lessthat the width w_(s) and the height h_(s) to ensure that the controlmodule fits into and aligns with the switching module. The dimensions ofa front portion 454 are also selected to extend through opening 462 in awall plate, and ensure that the edges of the opening of the wall plateabut the flange 452 of the control module. A flange 456 of the controlmodule is adapted to be inserted into the flange recess 428 of theswitching module. The connector element 458 is adapted to be secured toa corresponding connector element 430 of the switching module 102. Theedges 460 define opening 462. Because the height h_(p) and the widthw_(p) of the opening 462 are slightly greater that the height h_(c)′ andthe width w_(c)′ of the front portion 454′, the front portion 454 canextend through the opening 462, where the edges 460 of the recess 462will abut the flange 452. Outer edges 459 and 460 of the wall plateextend beyond the perimeter of the junction box to cover the junctionbox.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a block diagram of another in-wall modular poweradapter is shown. According to the implementation of FIG. 5, the controlmodule is attached to the switching module such that some sides of thetwo modules may be generally aligned, where a front portion of thecontrol module is adapted to fit through the recess of the wall plateand a back portion of the control module acts as a flange that abuts theedges of the opening of the wall plate. More particularly, the switchingmodule of FIG. 5 generally comprises a planar front surface that abuts acorresponding planar back surface of the control module. Elements mayprotrude from a planar surface of the switching module or the controlmodule, or may be recessed within a planar surface, such as a connectorprotruding from or being recessed in a planar surface. By way ofexample, the connector element 438 or the memory port 444 may protrudefrom or be recessed in the planar surface 502, while the control button440 may be flush with the planar surface 502. Attachment elements 504and 506 may be adapted to couple with corresponding connector elements507, which may be located at the top and bottom of the control modulefor example. The sides of a back portion 508 of the control module mayalign with sides of the switching module, where a surface 510 adjacentto a front portion 512 acts as a flange for the wall plate. According toone implementation, the attachment elements 504 and 506 can beintegrated in the planar surface 502 or can be integrated in the flanges432.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a block diagram of another in-wall modular poweradapter having a metal plate comprising flanges for attaching thein-wall modular power adapter to a junction box is shown. According tothe implementation of FIG. 6, a plate 602, which may be a metal platefor example, can be attached to the switching module 102 and comprisesconnector elements to allow the control module 104 to be attached to theplate, and therefore interface with the switching module. By way ofexample, the switching module may comprise threaded portions 604-608adapted to receive screws that would extend through corresponding holes616-622 to enable the plate to be attached to the switching module. Theplate also comprises an opening 623 enabling back portion of the controlmodule to extend through the opening 623. The plate 602 also comprisesflanges extending from the top and bottom to enable attaching themodular power adapter to a junction box. A first flange 624 comprises ahole 626 for receiving a screw to be screwed into a threaded portion ofthe junction box. The flange also comprises a receptacle 628, such as athreaded portion, for a screw to enable attaching a wall plate to themodular power adapter. The plate may also comprise an attachment element630 adapted to receive a corresponding attachment element of the controlmodule. A second flange 632 extending from the bottom of the platecomprises an attachment element 638. The control module comprises a backportion 640 extending to a flange 642 that defines a front portion 644.A front surface 646 may comprise a user interface that is accessible toa user. An attachment element 648 that is adapted to couple withattachment element 630 is provided on the control module, such as on theback portion of the control module as shown. An example of an attachmentelement comprising corresponding attachment elements of the switchingmodule and the control module is shown and described in reference toFIG. 7.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a block diagram of an exemplary attachmentelement enabling the attachment of a control module to a portion of theswitching module is shown. The rear portion 640 comprises a latchingelement 702 having a lever portion 704 and a pivot element 706 thatenables a latching portion 708 having a beveled edge 710 to secure thecontrol module to the flange 624. More particularly, the attachmentelement 630 of the flange 624 comprises a receiving element 712 and aflange 714 adapted to receive the beveled edge 710. While the attachmentelements of the flange and control module of FIG. 7 provide one exampleof a means for attaching the control module to a portion of theswitching module or flange, it should be understood that the controlmodule could be attached to some other portion of the modular poweradapter.

Turning now to FIG. 8, a plan view of the rear of a control module isshown. More particularly, contact elements 802 that may be coupled to orin electrical contact with the corresponding contact elements 438 of theswitching module are shown on a back surface of the control module. Acontrol button 804, which may be a pairing button for example, is alsoimplemented. As described above in reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, thecontact elements 802 may be contacts extending from the back surface, orcontact pads that may be flush with the back surface or recessed.

Turning now to FIGS. 9-13, exemplary user interface portions of acontrol module are shown. While examples of user interfaces areprovided, it should be understood that the user interfaces could includeany type of user interface element enabling the operation or control ofa power adapter, including the application of power to a devicecontrolled by the power adaptor. Turning first to FIG. 9, a plan view ofthe front of a control module having a paddle-type toggle switch isshown. That is, a movable element 902 enables changing the state of adevice controlled by the control module. The movable element 902 may bemovable between a first position for an on state and a second positionfor an off state. That is, when in the on state, the top portion of themovable element may by flush with the wall plate. Similarly, in the offstate, the bottom portion of the movable element may be flush with thewall plate. That is, a user could determine the state of the switchbased upon a position of the paddle-type toggle switch. Alternatively,after a user selects either the top or the bottom of the paddle-typetoggle switch, it would return to a normal resting position which doesnot indicate a state of the device, but rather where the switch is usedfor changing the state of the device.

The control module of FIG. 9 communicates a change of state of theswitch by way of contact elements 802. For example, by depressing thetop or bottom of the moveable element 902, a metal element of thecontrol module may short two of the contracts of contacts elements 802,enabling the switching module to determine that a change of state isdesired. Alternatively, depressing the top portion may provide a path toground for a first contact of the contact elements 802, indicating thata user desires to turn the light on, while depressing the bottom portionmay provide a path to ground for a second contact of the contactelements 802, indicating that a user desires to turn the light off. Oneor more wireless receivers 248 may be included in the switch of FIG. 9to receive information, including operational information, timingpatterns, or any other data that may be useful in implementing thetimer. According, the switch of FIG. 9 can be a mechanical switch thatenables generating an electrical signal at the contact elements 802,where the electrical signal is decoded by a control circuit of theswitching module. That is, according to some embodiments, the controlmodule generates an electrical signal that is detected by the switchingmodule, rather than making a physical connection to engage an actuatorof the switching module for example to change a state of the switchingmodule. Alternatively, the control module may include a circuit such asa wireless receiver or other control circuit for providing signals tothe switching module.

Turning now to FIG. 10, a plan view of the front of a control modulehaving a push-button toggle switch is shown. As shown in FIG. 10, thestate of a device controlled by the switch can be changed by a button1002, which may include a status indicator 1004, such as an LED forexample. Alternatively, the button 1002 may be movable between adepressed state, where the switch will be pressed in when the switch isturned on, and a state where the button is flush with the front of thecontrol module when the switch is turned off. In addition to indicatingwhether a light for example is on, the status indicator may alsoindicate whether a bulb is out; such as by flashing. The control moduleof FIG. 10 may also comprise a wireless receiver 248, as described abovein FIG. 9. Further, the button may operate as an mechanical element anelectrical signal at the contact elements 802, where the electricalsignal is decoded by a control circuit of the switching module asdescribed above in reference to FIG. 9.

Turning now to FIG. 11, a plan view of the front of a control modulehaving a push-button toggle switch and a sensor is shown. In addition tothe switch 1002, a sensor 1102 can be implemented on the front portionof the control element. By way of example, a motion detector or anambient light detector could be implemented on the front panel toautomatically change the state of the switch based upon the detection ofmotion or the detection of a state of the light at the switch. It shouldbe understood that the switch 1002 and the sensor 1102 could beimplemented with timing functions of a programmable timer (i.e. acontrol circuit implementing a timing pattern for the power adapter).

Turning now to FIG. 12, a plan view of the front of a control modulehaving a push-button toggle switch and a display is shown. As shown inFIG. 12, a display 1202 may be implemented on the front surface of thecontrol module. While a sensor is not shown in the implementation ofFIG. 12, it should be understood that a sensor, such as the sensor ofFIG. 12, could be implemented with the implementation of FIG. 12.

Turning now to FIG. 13, a plan view of the front of a control modulehaving a plurality of pre-programmed or programmable buttons is shown.As shown in the implementation of FIG. 13, a plurality of buttons couldbe implemented on the front surface of the control module. The controlmodule 104 may comprise a display 1302 having a time portion 1304, wherethe time portion of the display may indicate the current time or a timethat is being programmed for example. The display may also include anAM/PM indicator 1308, and on/off indicator 1310, a date indicator 1312and a location indicator 1314.

It should be noted that the control device could be programmed using auser interface, such as the user interface shown in FIG. 13. The userinterface of the control device of FIG. 13 includes programmable buttonsand pre-programmed buttons. More particularly, a programming portion1324 of the user interface comprises a first programming button 1326,which could be used for cursoring up while programming or turning on alight or other device controlled by the control module 104 (when not ina programming mode), and a second programming button 1328, which couldbe used for cursoring down during a programming operation or turning offthe light or other device controlled by the control device (when not ina programming mode). While the first programming button 1326 and thesecond programming button 1328 are shown as multifunction buttons forprogramming and controlling the device, it should be understood that oneor more buttons having on and off functionality could be implementedseparate from the first and second programming buttons.

A timer control portion 1330 comprises a first programmable button 1332,which may be programmed with an on time for a timing pattern, and asecond programmable button 1334, which may be programmed with an offtime for the timing pattern. The on time associated with the firstprogrammable button 1332 may be programmed using the first programmingbutton 1326 and the second programming button 1328 to cursor up andcursor down to reach the correct time that a user desires to turn on adevice controlled by the control module 104. Similarly, the off timeassociated with the second programmable button 1334 may be programmedusing the first programming button 1326 and the second programmingbutton 1328 to cursor up and cursor down to reach the correct time thata user desires to turn off a device controlled by the control module104. While the first programming button 1326 and the second programmingbutton 1328 are shown as having only an on time and an off timerespectively, where the buttons may be used together (i.e. when one ofthe buttons is selected, both will be selected), each of the firstprogramming button 1326 and the second programming button 1328 could beprogrammable to have both an on time and an off time.

The pre-programmed buttons comprise buttons, that when selected, willimplement switching data associated with a pre-programmed switchingpattern. By way of example, an “Evening” button 1336 could be selectedto turn on the lights between 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM or between dusk and11:00 PM for example. A “Morning” button 1338 could have pre-programmedon and off times associated with hours that a user may desire to havelights on during the morning, such as between 5:00 AM and 8:00 AM forexample. An “All Night” button 1340 could, when selected, turn on thelights at some time during the evening, such as a fixed time of 5:00 PMor a variable time such as dusk, and could turn the lights off at sometime in the morning, such as 8:00 AM or a variable time such as dawn. Acountdown function could also be implemented, where a device controlledby the timer may be on for predetermined intervals based upon the numberof times the countdown button 1342 is selected. An indicator 1342, suchas an LED, could be implemented to indicate when a certainpre-programmed button has been selected. The countdown function couldalso be accomplished using cursor buttons for scrolling up or down toselect a countdown time.

A reset button, 1344, which may be a recessed button for example,enables resetting the timer to a default state. It should also be notedthat while a pre-programmed button has a particular default setting foron and off times when a user acquires the timer, the pre-programmedbuttons may be reprogrammed by a user to have different on and offtimes. For example, a user may decide that preferred times for anevening setting may be between 5:00 PM and midnight, where the usercould reprogram the button to go on at 5:00 PM and off at midnightrather than 11:00 PM. Although different user interface features areshown by way of example, it should be understood that features ofdifferent embodiments can be combined to include a variety of differentfeatures.

Turning now to FIG. 14, an expanded view of a modular power adapterhaving a display on the switching module is shown. According to theimplementation of FIG. 14, a display 1402 is provided on the switchingmodule, where the control module comprises control circuits forcontrolling the operation of the switching module and any user interfaceelements that may be present on the front of the control module. Arecess 1404 may be provided behind the front surface and below thedisplay to receive a flange 1406, where an attachment element 1408 canbe coupled to a corresponding attachment element 1410 on the switchingmodule. That is, because of the location of the display, it may bebeneficial to attach the control module at the bottom of the switchingmodule. The rear portion 1412 will then be positioned within the recess1414. The front portion 1416 is configured to extend through an openingin the wall plate. Contact elements 1418 on the back of the rear portion1412, shown here in a dashed box, are positioned to make contact withcorresponding contacts 438.

Turning now to FIG. 15, an expanded view of a plug-in type modular poweradapter having a cover for a control module is shown. The plug-in typemodular power adapter of FIG. 15 comprises a switching portion 1502 thatis similar to the switching portion of an in-wall modular power adapter,except that the wires or contact screws that are used to wire thein-wall adapter are replaced with a plug and a receptacle by way ofexample. The power adapter of FIG. 15 also comprises a control portion1504 that is adapted to attach to the switching module and a cover 1506as shown that is adapted to cover the control portion 1504. Theswitching module comprises prongs 1508 of a plug to be inserted into awall outlet, and a receptacle 1510 for receiving a plug of a devicecontrolled by the power adapter.

A recessed portion 1512 is adapted to receive the control module 1504. Acommunication circuit 1518 may be located behind a rear wall 1519 of therecessed portion 1512, which may also comprise contacts 1520 that areadapted to align with corresponding contacts of the control module. Arecess 1522 may be adapted to receive a corresponding flange 1524, wherean attachment element 1526 is positioned to align with a correspondingattachment element 1528 of the control module. Attachment elements 1530,1532, 1534, and 1536 are positioned to receive corresponding attachmentelements on the cover 1506, where attachment elements 1538 and 1540 ofthe cover 1506 are adapted to align with and attach to attachmentelements 1530 and 1532, respectively. The attachment elements on thecover 1506 may comprise flanges that are inserted into recesses of theattachment element of the switching module, where the sides of the covercan be squeezed toward the center to release the flanges and remove thecover.

Turning now to FIG. 16, an expanded view of a plug-in type modular poweradapter having a control module attached to a switching module is shown.According to the implementation of FIG. 16, the control module 1602 alsofunctions as the cover, where attachment elements 1604 and 1606 areadapted to be received by attachment elements 1530 and 1532. Attachmentelements that are similar to attachment elements 1604 and 1606 areprovided on the opposite side of the control module 1602 to attach toattachment elements 1534 and 1536. User interface elements may beimplemented on the control module 1602, such as on a front surface 1608.The control module and user interface elements could be implemented asdescribed above with respect to the in-wall power adaptor.

Turning now to FIGS. 17-20, various implementations of a modular poweradapter for in-wall applications includes a wall plate having controlcircuitry, such as a control module. Turning first to 17, a plan view ofa junction box 1701 having a switching module 1702 adapted to interfacewith a control module of a wall plate is shown. As shown in FIG. 17, aswitching module 1702 comprises flanges for attaching the switchingmodule to the junction box, such as a first flange 1706 having a recess1708 for receiving a screw to attach the switching module to thejunction box and a threaded portion 1709 for receiving a screw forattaching a wall plate to the switching module, and a second flange 1710having a recess 1711 for receiving a screw to attach the switchingmodule to the junction box and a threaded portion 1712 for receiving ascrew for attaching a wall plate to the switching module. A switchingelement 1714, shown here as a paddle-type toggle switch, enableschanging the state of the device controlled by the switching module1702. As will be described in more detail in reference to FIGS. 18-20,an edge of an opening of a wall plate having control circuitry overlapswith a portion of the control module, and may extend up to an overlapregion shown by the dashed line 1715. Contact elements 1716, which areshown beyond (i.e. outside of) the dashed line 1716, and therefore wouldbe under the wall plate when the wall plate is attached to the switchingmodule. The contact elements 1716 are positioned to align withcorresponding contact elements of a control module of the wall plate,which will be described in reference to FIG. 18.

Turning now to FIG. 18, a front plan view of a wall plate having acontrol module is shown. A wall plate 1802 comprises an opening 1804that enables a switching element 1714 to extend through the wall plate,where an edge 1806 would extend to approximately the dashed line 1715 tocover the edges of the switching module. A control module 1808, shown indashed lines to indicate that it is on a rear surface of the wall plate,includes contact elements 1810 to align with and electrically couple tocorresponding contact elements 1716. Screw holes 1812 enable screws tobe used to attach the wall plate to the switching module. As shown inFIG. 19, which provides a rear plan view of the wall plate of FIG. 18,attachment elements 1902 enable the control module 1808 to be removablyattached to the wall plate. That is, the attachment elements 1902 wouldenable the control module 1808 to be switched out with a differentcontrol module to provide flexibility in the operation of the switchingmodule. For example, a control module having a different wirelesscommunication protocol could be attached to the wall plate, making iteasy to change the functionality of the switching module without havingto remove the switching module, which can costly and time consuming inthe case of an in-wall power adapter.

Turning now to FIG. 20, a rear plan view of a wall plate having twoopenings and two control modules is shown. According to theimplementation of FIG. 20, a first control module 2002 may be associatedwith a first opening 2004 of the dual-wall plate opening, while a secondcontrol module 2006 may be associated with a second opening 2008. Whiletwo openings are shown, it should be understood that any number ofopenings can be implemented.

Turning now to FIG. 21, a block diagram of a system 2100 having aplurality of power adapters implementing different communicationprotocols is shown. According to the implementation of FIG. 21, a singlecentral controller 2102 can provide multimodal control of differentcontrol devices or different sets of control devices, such as themodular power adapters or other timers or lighting control devices. Thecontrol devices could be power adapters or other suitable controldevices that could be coupled to control a device or integrated in thedevice to control the device. The single controller 2102 could be forexample a smart phone, a tablet computer or any other computer or deviceenabling a wireless connection to multiple control modules by way ofdifferent wireless protocols. For example, the controller 2102 couldcommunicate with a first set 2104 of control devices, a second set 2106of control devices, and a third set of control devices 2108. The firstset of control devices may include an outdoor light 2110, an indoorlight 2112, and a water heater 2114 that are controlled by way of afirst wireless connection 2116. As shown in FIG. 21, the centralcontroller 2102 is directly in communication with devices of the firstset of devices using a short range communication protocol. That is,there is no intervening control element, such as a base station orwireless hub, that receives control signals from the central controllerand provides control signals to the control devices. By way of example,a first set of devices could communicate with central controller by wayof a Bluetooth connection, where the devices could be implemented in aBluetooth mesh network, or a near field communication (NFC) link. Theshort range communication protocol may be accessible at a distance ofapproximately 100 feet for example. The devices of a first set could beimplemented in different locations, and could include for example anindoor device, an outdoor device, a device controlling a specificdevice, such as a water heater or an under-cabinet lighting fixture. Thefirst set of control devices could be associated devices that a userdoes not wish to access remotely, or a device about which the user mayhave security concerns and may not want to have controlled by a lowersecurity protocol, such as a IEEE 802.11 communication protocol, alsoknown as WiFi. The first communication protocol may therefore be a localcommunication protocol, and more particularly a direct localcommunication protocol.

The second set 2106 of control devices may be controlled by way of asecond connection, which may be for example a network. The second set ofdevices 2106 could include devices that are controlled by the controllerusing a local area network, including a base station or wireless hubthat communicates with a plurality of devices. By way of example, thelocal area network (LAN) could be a WiFi network including a WiFi base2118 enabling communication links 2120 and 2121. The local area networkcould also be accessible by a wide area network such as a cellularnetwork to enable remote access to devices. The WiFi network could beany network implementing any IEEE 802.11 standard for example. Thesecond set of appliances controlled by the devices could include thetypes of devices that a user may desire to access from a remotelocation, such as an indoor light 2122, a curling iron 2124, a coffeemachine 2126, a particular lamp, or a wireless-controlled door lock2128. That is, these devices may be devices that a user may wish tocheck to make sure that they have been turned off, or the types ofdevices that a user may wish to turn on while they are away.

The third set of devices 2108 could be controlled by another wirelessbase 2130 enabling communication links 2132 and 2134 to control otherspecialty devices such as pool controls or specialty lighting. Accordingto the example of FIG. 21, an outdoor light 2136, and indoor light 2138,and a pool heater 2140 could be controlled by the wireless base 2130.The wireless base 2130 could be a Z-Wave or a ZigBee controller forexample. Therefore, a short range communication link or a WiFiconnection of system 2100 could be integrated with an existing systememployed by the user, such as a Z-Wave or ZigBee system for example.

One beneficial aspect of the system is that a single controller cancontrol a plurality of devices using a plurality of differentconnections implementing different wireless communication protocols andhaving different capabilities. The controller can also access a server2142 by way of one of the elements of the system, such as the WiFi base2118. The server may receive information from or provide information tothe server 2142. For example, the server may receive information fromthe central controller related to the state or operation of variousdevices on the system 2100, or may provide information or data enablingthe operation of the devices on the system 2100. For example, theinformation can be related to analysis of the devices implemented on thesystem, or could be information of interest to a user, such as news orweather, which could be displayed on a device of the system. Byimplementing a variety of different communication protocols, it ispossible to implement the different devices with the most suitablecommunication protocol from a single controller. For example, while aWiFi enables remote access, it may also be more susceptible to hackingor other security issues. However, a Bluetooth or NFC connection,because of its short-range nature, may have fewer hacking or securityissues, but is generally not remotely accessible.

Turning now to FIG. 22, a flow chart shows a method of implementing amodular power adapter. A control module is removably coupled to aswitching module at a block 2202, wherein the control module has a setof electrical contacts and the switching module has a correspondingsecond set of electrical contacts. Control signals are generated by wayof the first set of electrical contacts of the control module at a block2204. The control signals are received at a switching module by way ofthe second set of electrical contacts at a block 2206. Power isselectively applied to a device based upon the control signals when thecontrol module is attached to the switching module at a block 2208.

The method may further comprise receiving electrical power at aplurality of contact elements, wherein the contact elements may compriseprongs adapted to be inserted into an electrical outlet. The powerswitch may further comprise a receptacle for receiving a plug of thedevice controlled by the power switch. The method may further comprisechanging the state of the device controlled by the power adapter inresponse to a switching element for manually controlling the operationof the power switch. The method may also enable a manual programming ofthe power switch on a user interface, and displaying information on adisplay of the control module.

Turning now to FIG. 23, a flow chart shows a method of controlling poweradapters using a plurality of different communication interfaces. Aplurality of wireless communication protocols is implemented using acentral controller at a block 2302. A first device communicates, by wayof the central controller, using a first wireless communication protocolof the plurality of wireless communication protocols at a block 2304. Asecond device communicates, by way of the central controller, using asecond wireless communication protocol of the plurality of wirelesscommunication protocols at a clock 2306.

Turning now to FIGS. 24-26, a map showing latitude and longitude lineswhich could be used to divide a geographical region, shown here by wayof example as the United States. It should be noted that the latitudeand longitude lines are shown by way of example, and are not intended tonecessarily show accurate latitude and longitude lines. Also, while 24regions of the lower 48 states of the United States are created bylatitude and longitude lines as shown, it should be understood that anynumber of regions could be created by greater or fewer latitude andlongitude lines. The selected longitudinal and latitudinal lines neednot be separated by the same number of degrees (e.g. 5 degrees) as shownin FIG. 24, but may be separated by different numbers of degrees. Also,the lines need not be continuous on the same horizontal or vertical. Forexample, the three vertical lines within the boundary of the lower 48states could correspond to the time zone lines that create the 4 timezone regions, Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern. It should be notedthat certain geographical regions within the United States applydifferent rules related to the changing of times during daylight savingsand standard time. As a result, separate tables providing dusk and dawndata may be used for daylight savings time and standard time. It shouldbe noted that the dusk and dawn data could be updated over time toaccount for changes in daylight savings time rules by reprogramming acontrol device or a remote switching device. The devices could bereprogrammed by downloading new data by way of a data port, such as aUSB port as described above, or via cellular communication to a cellularreceiver on the control device or a remote switching device.

As shown in FIG. 25, a table having combinations of latitude andlongitude ranges is provided to enable a power switch to access anappropriate table having dusk and dawn times to be applied withimplementing a timing pattern as described above. For a power switchhaving a GPS receiver or some other receiver that is capable ofreceiving location information, such as latitude and longitude valuesassociated with the location of the power switch, the received latitudeor longitude values are used to determine a region in which the powerswitch is located, and therefore enable selecting a table associatedwith the region for applying appropriate dusk and dawn times. An exampleof a table associated with a region will be described in more detail inreference to FIG. 26. While a reference to a table is provided by way ofexample, it should be understood that a reference to equations or otheralgorithms for calculating dusk and dawn times could be provided. Thatis, based upon time and date, a dawn and dusk time could be calculatedfor a given region.

As shown in FIG. 26, an example of a table having a plurality of dateranges and corresponding dusk and dawn times that would be applied for atiming pattern implemented by a power switch, such as any of the powerswitches described above, is shown. FIG. 26 shows an example of onetable, where a separate table would be implemented for each region andwould have dusk (DUSK1-DUSKN) and dawn (DAWN1-DAWNN) times associatedwith date ranges for that region. The dusk and dawn times could be basedupon averages for the region, or could be weighted to be optimized forthe most populous area of the region.

According to the example regions of FIG. 24, 24 tables could be storedin a memory of the device and would be available to be accessed by adevice, such as a control device or a remote switching device, in anyone of the 24 regions, where a power switch in region A2 would accessTable A2 to implement dusk and dawn times in a timing pattern. Accordingto the example table of FIG. 26, a plurality of date ranges extendingfrom 1 to N, where N can be any number up to 365. That is, N could beselected to provide a date range for a predetermined number of days. Forexample, N could be 12, where dusk and dawn times would change 12 timesduring the year, such as on the first of every month. N could beselected to be 52, where dusk and dawn times would change 52 times ayear, such as every Sunday. N could even be selected to be 365, wherethe dusk and dawn times would change every day. For the N date ranges,the number of dates of each date range need not have the same number ofdays. For example, there may be some periods of time of the year duringwhich the dusk and dawn times change less rapidly. During those times,the date range could be longer. In contrast, at certain times such asduring fall and spring, the dusk and dawn times may change at a greaterrate each day or week. During these times, it may be beneficial to havefewer days associated with a date range.

Turning now to FIG. 27, a diagram shows a switch of a module that ismovable to provide a control signal to a switching module to switchstates. According to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 27, differentstates of a mechanical switch can be used to generate an electricalsignal that is decoded by a switching module, such as by a controlcircuit of a switching module for example. Therefore, a modular adaptercan be provided at a low cost by providing a switching module that isnot only adapted to receive a low-cost module (e.g. as a simplemechanical module for providing an electrical signal operating as acontrol signal to contact elements of the switching module), but thatcan also be upgraded to receive a module having greater functionality(e.g. wireless control) by simply switching out the modules.

As shown with the power adapter and module at the top of FIG. 27, anintermediate state (i.e. non-connected state) of a switch accessible ona module may exist before the switch is moved to generate a signal thatis provided to the switching module. A switch 2702, which may be atoggle switch for example, may provide a predetermined voltage to acontact of the communication port 227, such as by shorting contacts ofthe communication port 227 for example. That is, the control module 104comprises a plurality of contact elements 2704, 2706, 2708 and 2710 thatare electrically connected to predetermined nodes of the switchingmodule (where dashed lines are used to show that the interconnectelements between the contact elements of the switching module 102 andthe control module 104 are behind the switch 2702). Contact elements ofthe communication port 227 are coupled to contact elements of thecommunication port 229, where a first contact element 2716 is coupled toa corresponding first contact element 2718, a second contact element2720 is coupled to a corresponding second contact element 2722, a thirdcontact element 2724 is coupled to a corresponding contact element 2726,and a fourth contact element 2728 is coupled to a corresponding contactelement 2730 as shown. The contact elements 2716 and 2728 enableproviding power and ground (i.e. neutral) reference voltages to thecontrol module 104, where the power and ground reference voltages can beused to generate control signals for the control circuit 202 to controlthe switch 220. More particularly, the transformer 204 is coupled to thecontact element 223 to receive the line voltage (which may be a highvoltage of approximately 120 volts for example), and generates a voltage(such as 5 volts or less for example) that is provided to the controlmodule 104 to enable the control module 104 to operate. The electricalconnection between contacts elements 2728 and 2730 also enable providinga reference voltage to the control module 104. As will be described inmore detail below, by providing power and ground to the control module,a mechanical switch or a control module having a control circuit (e.g.including a wireless receiver) can provide control signals to theswitching module 102.

The switch 2702 also includes contact elements that are moveable withthe switch to couple different contact elements of the communicationport 229 together to generate a control signal by pulling a contactelement to a certain voltage. In the second configuration of the switchafter the switch is moved up as shown by the dashed line arrow, contactelement 2712 causes the contact element 2706 to be pulled high (e.g. 5volts) by electrically connecting contact elements 2704 and 2706together, and causes the contact element 2708 to be pulled low(approximately 0 volts of the neutral reference voltage) by electricallyconnecting contact elements 2708 and 2710 together. According a firstcontrol signal (CS1) and a second control signal (CS2) having high andlow voltages respectively are coupled to the control circuit 202, wherethe control signals could be interpreted as an on signal to control theswitch 220 to apply the line voltage the load (i.e. contact element206). As shown in the bottom configuration when the switch 2702 Is moveddownward to an off position as indicated by the downward dashed arrow,the contact element 2714 causes the contact element 2706 to be pulledlow (and therefore generating a low CS1 signal) and causes the contactelement 2708 to be pulled high (and therefore generating a high CS2signal).

While 2 contact elements (i.e. contact element 2706 and contact element2708) for transmitting 2 control signals (which may enable manydifferent data transmission protocols) are shown, it should beunderstood that a single control signal contact could be provided, wherea control signal on the single contact element could be detected withreference to the neutral voltage, and a high value on the single contactelement for control could indicate an on state and a low value wouldindicate an off state. A data stream having other control signals couldalso be implemented for other more advanced control modules, such as acontrol module having a wireless communication circuit. While a simplemechanical switch is shown in FIG. 27, a dimming feature could also beprovided, where a dimming controller accessible by a user would adjustthe voltage generated as CS1 and/or CS2, and the control circuit 202would control the switch 220 (which may comprise a variable resistor forexample) to regulate a dimming of the load.

Various embodiments related to power adapters having one or more outletsare now described. That is, in contrast to the power adapters thatoperate as switches for turning a light controlled by the switch on oroff, the following power adapters comprises one or more electricaloutlets for receiving a plug of a device (such as a lamp) that isinserted into the outlet to provide power to the device. Modules can beimplemented to provide additional functionality to a power adapterhaving an outlet or to operate as a control module to control operationof the device receiving power from the outlet of the power adapter, suchas by enabling the turning on or off of the device or controlling thedevice according to a timing pattern as described above. As will bedescribed in more detail below, power adapters can be implemented toreceive a module within the power adapter that provides additionalfunctionality. Unlike conventional power control arrangements thatrequire that a separate device, such as a timer or universal serial bus(USB) adapter, be plugged into an existing outlet, a module can insteadbe inserted in a recess of the power adapter according to variousimplementations set forth below for example. In the case of a USBadapter implemented as the module of FIG. 30 for example, the outletthat would otherwise receive a conventional USB adapter remains open,and therefore the power adapter provides two outlets along with the USBconnectors of a USB charging module. In the case of a wireless controlmodule, such as a timer, there is no need to have a separate elementprotruding from the outlet that receives a plug of a device, where theseparate element may not be aesthetically pleasing and may interferewith the placement of furniture against a wall. That is, in addition toa plug extending from a wall outlet, the use of a conventional timer mayrequire a separate device that is inserted into the outlet and comprisesan outlet for receiving a plug of the device. According to variousimplementations as set forth below, the power adapter can be adapted tooperate as a timer by receiving a timer module in a recess of the poweradapter, where the plug of the device can be directly plugged into theoutlet. Other functionality can be provided by the module, which mayinclude one or more sensors, such as a sensor for detecting motion,ambient light, temperature, humidity or any other detectable state orcondition near the power adapter. While some modules are passive modules(e.g. enabling the coupling of conductors to allow for the charging ofdevice such as a USB connector enabling the charging of portabledevice), other modules implemented in FIG. 27-52 may be control modules.For example, a module implemented as a control module could control theapplication of power to a device, such as a device controlled by anin-wall power adapter wired to the device or a device plugged into anoutlet of the power adapter that receives power from a wall outlet. Byenabling the use of the power adapter to be used without a module (e.g.by allowing the use of a dummy module or cover for a recess as will bedescribed in more detail below), a single type of power adapter havingoutlets can be installed in an entire building, such as a residence,allowing the owner of the building to easily change the functionality oroperation of the power adapter at any time by adding a module.

Further, by implementing both the modular power adapters operating aswall switches described above in FIGS. 1-14 and 17-20 and the modularpower adapters having outlets as described in FIGS. 28-52, an owner of abuilding, such as an owner of a newly constructed residential building,can make decisions regarding the functionality of switches and outletsafter construction is complete and the desired functionality oroperation for the switches or outlets is more clear. According to someimplementation of FIG. 28-52, modular power adapters are configured toreceive a module, and have one or more outlets that enable power to beapplied to a device plugged into the outlet, using a control moduleinserted into the power adapter. The benefits of the modular feature forpower adapters extend after a selection may be made by a user, and applyto the replacement market for switches and outlets in an existingstructure. For example, a homeowner may decide to install wirelessmodules for modular switches and modular outlets having a certaintechnology, and may wish to change at a later time to wireless moduleshaving a more current technology.

By implementing modular power adapters (such as having a switch forcontrolling an outdoor or ceiling light or an in-wall outlet) asdescribed herein, an owner of a building will never be exposed to highvoltage electrical power associated with the building, but can changethe functionality or operation of a power adapter by simply switchingout the module of the power adapter. Such an arrangement will reducecosts to a homeowner by eliminating calls to an electrician to makesimple changes in the building such as changing an outlet or switch. Aswill be described in more detail below, modules can be interchanged toprovide different functionality based upon the particular module used ata given time. For example, a power adapter could be initially providedwith a low-cost module (e.g. a module that may provide limitedfunctionality, such as allowing for a manual on/off feature that wouldallow a user to engage an actuator to turn a device controlled by thepower adapter on or off), and later replaced with another module thatcould provide additional functionality, such as remote wireless controlby a control device (e.g. a smart phone). Examples of modules havingdifferent levels of functionality are described in more detail below. Itshould be noted that modules, whether for a power adapter that is usedas an in-wall switch or a power adapter that is installed as an in-walloutlet, could be different types of modules. For example, a module foran in-wall switch application could be a mechanical type that providescontrol signals in response to a user interaction with a mechanicalswitch on a user interface of the module, and electrical type that mayhave some control operations as shown for example in FIG. 13, orwireless type of module as shown for example in FIG. 12 that may receivecontrol signals from a remote device, such as a smart phone, and providecontrol signals to the switching module. Similarly, as will be describedin more detail below, a module for a power adapter having an outlet asdescribed below may have a non-functional type of module (i.e. a dummymodule or cover for a recess), a functional module that providesadditional functionality (e.g. a module having USB connectors for USBcharging by way of power contacts of the recess for providing a lowvoltage (e.g. approximately 5 volt) signal), or a control module thatcontrols the operation of an outlet of the power adapter. The controlmodule may provide control by way of direct interaction with a userinterface (e.g. FIG. 13) or wireless control (e.g. FIG. 12) as describedabove.

According to some implementations, a power adapter may be a passiveswitching device controlled using a wireless control device (e.g. asmart phone or a dedicated controller) by way of a wirelesscommunication connection. The passive switching device does not activelycontrol the application of power to a device, but rather enables theswitching of power in response to real-timer control signals from thewireless control device. That is, the passive power adapter may notstore any operational data or timing pattern information, but ratherwould respond to control signals from the wireless control device toapply control signals to a device under control of the power adapter.Alternatively, a power adapter may be an active power adapter controlledusing a wireless control device (e.g. a smart phone or a dedicatedcontroller) by way of a wireless communication connection. The activepower adapter may receive a timing pattern having a plurality ofswitching events. Rather than separately receive a control signal fromthe wireless control device in real time to enable a switching event,the active power adapter will enable the switching event at theappropriate time based upon operational information stored andmaintained (e.g. time and date) in the active power adapter to implementthe timing pattern. By way of example, the control device may provideboth operational information and a timing pattern having a firstswitching event of turning a light on at 9:00 PM and a second switchingevent of turning the light off at 6:00 AM every day. After receiving theoperational information and the timing pattern, active power adapter canoperate independently of the control device to control power to a devicesuch as a light according to the first switching event for example.

Referring specifically to FIG. 28, a power adapter 2802 comprises afirst outlet 2804 having receptacle elements 2806 for receivingcorresponding prongs of a plug to provide power to an electrical devicehaving the plug. The power adapter 2802 comprises a second outlet 2808as shown. While 2 outlets are shown by way of example, it should beunderstood that any number of outlets could be implemented in a poweradapter configured to receive a module as described below. The poweradapter could also include flanges 2810 and 2812 for attaching the poweradapter to a junction box for example. While the use of a module for apower adapter finds particular application with a power adapterconfigured to be attached to a junction box, a module as described belowcould be implemented in any type of power adapter having outlets. Acover 2814 is attached to the power adapter 2802 using an attachmentelement 2816, which could be a screw as shown for example. However, itshould be understood that the attachment element could be any type ofmechanical, magnetic, or adhesive element to secure the cover 2814. Itshould be understood that the cover 2814 could be separate from or apart of a module (such as a wireless module) inserted into a recess ofthe power adapter to provide additional functionality for the poweradapter. In the case of a module having elements that are accessible orvisible, such as USB connector of a USB module or an LED of a wirelessmodule, the cover may be a part of the module so that the elementsremain exposed, or alternatively, include openings to enable theelements to be accessible or visible. The cover could be used to providepressure when properly secured to the power adapter to ensure thatadequate electrical connections are made between contacts of the moduleand corresponding contacts of the power adapter. A status element 2818,such as an LED for example, could provide status information associatedwith the application of power to the outlet 2804. For example, thestatus element 2818 could be an LED that is on when power is applied tothe outlet and off when power is not applied to the outlet (such as inthe case when the module functions as control module to implement atiming pattern). It should be noted that modules implemented in recessesof a power adapter having an outlet could be a module having additionalfunctionality (e.g. one or more USB connectors) and/or a control moduleto control the outlet (e.g. a wireless control module for controllingthe operation of the outlet). A power adapter or module, alone or incombination, could also include protection circuits, such as a groundfault circuit interrupt (GFCI) circuit, to prevent a ground faultcondition. The power adapter and module having a GFCI circuit couldenable automatic testing of the power adapter or could include a testbutton and a reset button for example, or could include visualindicators of a state of the power adapter or include an audio devicefor providing an audible indication of the state of the power adapter.

As shown in the plan view of the power adapter of FIG. 29 having thecover for a module between a pair of outlets, a recess 2902 that isexposed when the cover or the module is removed comprises a plurality ofcontacts that are adapted to make an electrical connection withcorresponding contacts of the module. A first set of contacts 2904 maybe used to provide power by way of a transformer 2906 (which maycorrespond to transformer 204 for example) to the module to enable themodule to operate. For example, the transformer 2906 could covert a highvoltage provided to a power adapter, such as 120 volts for example, to alow voltage, such as 5 volts for example, to enable a module inserted inthe recess 2902 to control the operation of the outlet 2804. That is, amodule inserted in the recess 2902 may provide signals by way ofcontacts 2910 to a control circuit 2912 (which may include controlcircuit 202 and switch 220 for example) that controls the application ofpower to the outlet 2804. The transformer 2906 and the control circuit2912 are shown in dashed lines to indicate that they are behind thefront surface of the power adapter. The transformer provides a low powersignal for enabling the operation of a module inserted in the recess.For example, the low power signal could be a 5 volt signal to charge adevice plugged into a charging module (e.g. a USB charging module or toprovide power to enable a control module, such as a wireless controlmodule to operate. As will be described in more detail below inreference to FIG. 43 below, the control circuit 2912 controls theapplication of power to the outlet 2804, such as according to a timingpattern for a module that functions as a timer, and may vary the voltageapplied to provide a dimming function. That is, contacts 2910 receivecontrol signals from a control module, such as a wireless control modulefor example, and routes the control signals to a control circuit of thepower adapter to control the application of power to one or both of theoutlets. The corresponding contacts and additional information relatedto the contacts of a module inserted in the recess 2902 will bedescribed in more detail in reference to FIGS. 32 and 33. A recess 2902may also comprises a barrier 2914, shown here as a corner section, toprevent a module from being inserted improperly into the recess. Therecess may also comprise an attachment element, shown here as a threadedhole 2915 adapted to receive a screw 2816 for example. However, any typeof attachment elements could be used. The power adapter may also includean electrical connection 2916 from and earth ground (which may be flange2812 for example) to the control circuit 2912. As will be described inmore detail below, the ability to detect the voltage for earth groundwill help determine whether the power adapter is properly wired and/orwhether the power adapter is operating properly.

Turning now to FIG. 30, a plan view of a power adapter comprising amodule having a plurality of connectors is shown. According to theexample of FIG. 30, a module 3002 having USB connectors 3004 and 3006enables the application of power to a device (such as a smart phone orother portable device). That is, power from the transformer 2906 isprovided to the module 3002. Control functionality may also be providedto the control circuit 2912. That is, the module 3002 may be a passivemodule that only provides power to the USB connectors 3004 and 3006, ora control module (e.g. a module having a wireless communication circuitadapted to receive data from a control device) that also providescontrol signals to the control circuit 2912 to control the applicationof power to the outlet 2804. According to one implementation as shown inFIG. 30, the attachment element 2816 could be implemented in the centerof the module to enable the USB connectors to be spread apart as far aspossible to provide space for inserting a corresponding USB plugs intothe USB connectors 3004 and 3006. That is, placing the USB connectors3004 and 3006 on the ends of the modules reduces the likelihood that theUSB plugs will interfere with plugs inserted into the outlets.

In contrast, as shown in FIG. 31, a power adapter having a wirelesscommunication module enables wireless control of a device plugged intothe outlet 2804. The module 3102 may comprise a status indicator 3104,which could provide a status of the operation of module 3102, such as anindication of when the module is receiving control signals from acontrol device, such as a dedicated control device, a smart phone, orother computer device for controlling the operation of the module 3002.The status indicator 3104 may also indicate whether the module ispowered, functioning correctly, or disabled for example. The module mayalso include a pairing element 3106, which may be a button for example,to enable the pairing of the module to a control device and/or a networkas will be described in more detail below.

Turning now to FIG. 32, an expanded view of a power adapter, module andwall plate according to one embodiment is shown. A power adapter 3202 isadapted to receive a module 3204 for providing additional functionalityfor the power adapter, such as wired connectivity (e.g. USBconnections), sensor capability, or wireless control capability. A wallplate 3206 adapted to cover a portion of the power adapter 3202 and ajunction box receiving the power adapter 3202.

An elevated edge 3208 defines a surface 3209 having the outlets andperimeter 3210 that is adapted to receive the wall plate 3206. Thesurface 3209 comprises an outlet 3212 having receptacles 3214 forreceiving prongs of a plug. A second outlet 3216 is also shown. Anopening of a recess 3218 is also on the surface 3209. The recess 3218may comprise guides 3220 along one or more side walls 3222 to enablealigning the module 3204 in the recess 3218. As will be described inreference to FIG. 33, another guide may be on a side wall opposite theside wall 3220. Contact elements may also be positioned within therecess to align with and make an electrical contact with correspondingcontacts on the module 3204. For example, contacts 3226 are located onside wall 3228. As shown in FIG. 33, contacts may also be located on aside wall opposite wall 3228, or another side wall or the bottom of therecess. Alternatively, all of the contacts could be on the same wall. Aswill be described in more detail below, one or more contacts may be usedto enable powering the module and one or more other contacts may be usedto provide control signals to control signals to control the applicationof power to the outlet. The recess 3218 may also comprise attachmentelements, shown by way of example as attachment elements 3230 and 3232on sides of the recess.

According to one implementation, a switch 3233 may be included in therecess to detect when a module is positioned in the recess, andtherefore change the switch from a first state to a second state toenable bypassing the direct connection of electrical power to an outlet(as will be described in more detail in reference to FIG. 43). Incontrast, when a cover for the recess is used (i.e. when a no module isused), the switch will remain in the first state, allowing the directconnection of electrical power to the outlet, where the electrical poweris continuously applied. Alternatively, in the case of the use of adummy module (i.e. a module that fits in the recess but does not provideany other functionality), the dummy module may be configured to preventchanging the state of the switch. For example, if the switch is a buttonat the bottom of the recess that is depressed when a module is insertedinto the recess, the module may include a gap or opening that wouldreceive the button and prevent the button from be depressed. As will bedescribed in more detail below in reference to FIG. 43, the power may becontinuously applied to an outlet unless a functional module is insertedinto the recess, in which case the module would control the applicationof power to the outlet. Switch 3233 may be any type of mechanicalswitch, such as a spring-loaded button or lever, or an electricalswitch, such as a simple electrical contact, a magnetic circuit,inductive circuit, or other wireless circuit.

The module 3204 comprises elements to enable both an electrical andphysical connection to the power adapter 3202. More particularly, arecess 3234 is provided to receive a guide 3302 shown in FIG. 33. Themodule also comprises contacts 3236 that enable an electrical contactwith corresponding contacts 3308 as shown. Contacts 3238, show in dashedlines to indicate that the contacts are on an opposite side of themodule 3204 from the contacts 3236, enable an electrical connection withcontacts 3226. Attachment elements 3240 and 3242 are configured to alignwith corresponding attachment elements 3230 and 3232 to retain themodule within the recess. An interface element 3244 may also be includedon a surface of the module, such as a front surface that is accessibleby a user. The interface element may provide information to a user, ormay enable a user to provide an input to the module. For example, theinterface element 3244 may comprise a status indicator, such as an LEDto indicate a state of the module or the status of an operation of themodule or the power adapter. According to another embodiment, a modulecould be detected in the recess by way of contacts in the recess forexample. While physical electrical contacts are shown by way of example,it should be understood that communication between the module and thepower adapter could be wireless, such as by way of an NFC or Bluetoothconnection for example as described above in reference to FIG. 2.

The wall plate 3206 comprises an edge 3250 defining a recess 3252 thataligns with elevated edge 3208 when the wall plate is attached to thepower adapter 3202. The wall plate includes screw holes 3254 and 3256for receiving screws that are inserted into threaded portions of flangesof the power adapter. More particularly, a first flange 3260 comprises arecess 3262 to receive a screw that may be used to attach the poweradapter 3202 to a junction box and a threaded portion 3264 to receive ascrew inserted through screw hole 3254. A second flange 3266 comprises arecess 3268 to receive a screw that may be used to attach the poweradapter 3202 to a junction box and a threaded portion 3270 to receive ascrew inserted through screw hole 3256. According to the implementationof FIG. 33, USB connectors 3306 are included by way of example.

Turning now to FIGS. 34 and 35, expanded views of another power adapter,module and wall plate are shown. The power adapter 3402 is configured tohave at least one outlet 3216, and a module 3404 that is generallylarger than the module 3204. The larger module 3404 may include anoutlet, but may enable more functions or different functions that may bemore difficult or costly to implement in the smaller module 3204 of FIG.32. For a module including an outlet, the power adapter should beimplemented to prevent electrical power from being exposed to a user ofthe power adapter when the module is removed from the power adapter. Forexample, a flange of the module may be inserted into a recess 3406behind the contacts, indicated by the dashed line, as will be describedin more detail in reference to FIG. 36.

The arrangement of the power adapter 3402 with the larger module 3404may be implemented as described above in reference to FIGS. 32 and 33(where the same numbers for elements of FIGS. 32 and 33 are included inFIGS. 34 and 35), or may include additional or different elements toaccommodate for the larger size of the module. By way of example,additional or different guides and attachment elements could beimplemented to retain the module 3404 in the recess 3403. As shown inFIG. 35, connectors 3502 comprise USB connectors.

Examples of modules that could be implemented with the power adapters ofFIGS. 32-35 are now described. It should be understood that whileexamples of modules are provided, features or functions of the differentmodules could be combined into a single module, or other features orfunctions could be implemented in a module.

Turning first to FIG. 36, an exemplary module 3602 having an outlet isshown. The module 3602 comprises a main body portion 3604 having anoutlet 3606. Because the outlet requires power, contact elementscarrying high voltages must be provided between the power adapter andthe module. As indicated above, it is necessary that a user cannot comein contact with a high voltage contact. Therefore, a connector flange3608 having contact elements 3610 is provided. The connector flange 3608is intended to slide into a recess that would not be accessible by auser. That is, a recess is implemented such that a human finger couldnot fit into the recess, and therefore could not touch any high voltagecontact. The contact elements 3610 are also designed to be inserted intoa corresponding contact recesses that would further prevent a fingerfrom coming into contact with a high voltage contact. While theconnector flange of FIG. 36 is just one example of a contact arrangementthat could be used to provide a high voltage to the module, other typesof contact arrangements could be implemented.

Turning now to FIG. 37, an exemplary module having a wirelesscommunication circuit and a motion detector is shown. That is, themodule 3702 comprises a motion detector 3704 on an outer surface thatenables detecting motion near the power adapter, and having contacts3706 for communicating with the power adapter. The module 3702 mayoptionally comprise a wireless communication circuit 3708. For example,a power adapter using the module 3702 may implement a timing patternthat may be downloaded to the module by way of a wireless communicationconnection using wireless communication circuit 3708 to control theoperation of the outlet of the power adapter, where the motion detectormay supplement the operation of the outlet by turning on a devicepowered by the outlet. While a motion detector is shown by way ofexample, it should be understood that any other type of sensor, such asan ambient light sensor, temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anyother sensor for providing information that may be used by the poweradapter.

Turning now to FIG. 38, an exemplary module having a wirelesscommunication circuit and a user interface is shown. The module 3802comprises a user interface 3804 and an optional wireless communicationcircuit 3806. The user interface could include any type of input elementfor receiving information from a user or output element for providinginformation to a user. The input elements could include physicalactuators (e.g. buttons, knobs, dials, switches, etc.), a touch screeninterface, or a microphone for example. The output elements could be aspeaker, LED status indicators or a display for example. Examples ofuser interfaces that could be implemented are shown by way of example inFIGS. 39-41. While these user interfaces are shown by way of example, itshould be understood various features or functions of the userinterfaces as shown in FIGS. 39-41 could be interchanged or implementedwith other features.

Turning now to FIG. 39, an exemplary user interface having controlactuators that could be implemented in the embodiment of FIG. 38 isshown. According to the implementation of FIG. 39, dials could be usedto easily set an on time or an off time. As shown by way of example, anon time dial 3902 enables the selection of an on time with respect tosunset, where a user could select sunset as the on time, or apredetermined half hour period before or after sunset. Similarly, theoff time could be selected using a dial 3904, where the off time couldbe selected as sunrise or a predetermined period before or aftersunrise. Alternatively, predetermined times could be selected for the onand off times. For example, an on time could be selected as a fixed timebetween 6 PM and 11 PM by moving the dial to the desired time.Similarly, an off time could be selected between 11 PM and 5 AM byselecting the desired off time. While 2 dials are shown by way ofexample, additional pairs of dials enabling multiple on and off timescould be implemented and the specific settings could vary from thoseshown.

Turning now to FIG. 40, an exemplary user interface having voicerecognition that could be implemented in the embodiment of FIG. 38 isshown. As shown in the implementation of FIG. 40, a voice activated userinterface enables the input of operational information, such as currenttime, date and location information as well as timing patterninformation, to the power adapter. More particularly, a speaker 4002 anda microphone 4004, which is a control element, enable the entry ofinformation necessary for the power adapter to apply power to thereceptacle at the appropriate times. The speaker 4002 may be used toimplement prompts for a user to enter particular data, which may bedetected by the microphone 4004. The button 4006 may be used to enable auser to sequentially request a prompt from the power adapter, inresponse to which a user could enter the requested data.

While the speaker 4002 and button 4006 are shown, it should beunderstood that FIG. 40 could include only the microphone 4004, where auser could simply dictate the desired information which would bedeciphered by the power adapter. That is, the user could simply indicatethe time, date and location, and a control circuit of the power adapterwould determine the correct time, date and location based upon the usersentered information. It would not be necessary that the user enter anydata in any particular order, or any particular type of data. Thecontrol circuit would be configured to detect and decode various typesof information provided. For example, the user could enter time withinan AM/PM designation, or as military time. The control circuit woulddetermine the correct time based upon the entered information.Similarly, the date could be determined simply based upon a monthentered by a user, or a series of numbers which would be determined tobe a date, such as “nine eleven twenty sixteen” which would beinterpreted in Sep. 11, 2016. Similarly, location could be based uponZIP Code, longitude and latitude designations, a geographic region, aportion of a state, well-known cities, or any other geographic location.If the control circuit cannot decode an entry of a user, the controlcircuit could then add a prompt to provide the information in a certainformat. Information associated with a timing pattern could also bedictated by the user. For example, a user could dictate a timing eventsassociated with a timing pattern, such as an on or off times or dusk anddawn as on or off times, for particular day of the week, orpredetermined groupings of an on and off times, such as weekdays orweekends.

Turning now to FIG. 41, an exemplary user interface having a touchscreen interface that could be implemented in the embodiment of FIG. 38is shown. A display having particular fields that could be selected andmodified is shown in FIG. 41. More particularly, the display comprises atime field 4102, a date field 4104, and a location field 4106. Each ofthe fields could be selected by touching the field, such as any locationwithin the dashed box associated with the field as shown in FIG. 41.When time field 4102 is selected, a designation region that indicatesthe type of data that follows in the field is shown. Initially, the hourdesignation would be displayed, with the current time that is storedbeing displayed in the data field. A user could then “swipe” the data tochange the data. Accordingly, if a user slightly swipes upward, the timewill change from 12 PM to 1 PM for example. The user could then selectthe hour field again to “store” the hour time, leading to thepresentation of the “minutes” field. After the minutes field isselected, the display will then show the current time.

A user could also select the current date. In particular, when the datefield is selected, the month may be initially designated. The user couldthen swipe up or down to reach a desired month, such as July. When theuser stores the month of July, the date will then be displayed. The usercould then change the date to a desired number. After the date field isselected to store the current date, the year will be displayed which canalso be changed and stored.

Finally, the user could enter a current location, such as a ZIP Code.Starting from an initial ZIP Code, the user could swipe the individualdigits of the ZIP Code. While particular methods of changing the dataare shown by way of example in FIG. 41, it should be understood thatother methods of changing the data on a touch screen or by way of someother means could be employed. Other implementations of a touch screenuser interface could be implemented, such as handwriting recognition forexample. It should be noted that, while a user interface may be on amodule, it could also be separate from a module, such as a controldevice in communication with the module, or split between the module andanother device separate from the module.

Turning now to FIG. 42, an expanded view of a power adapter having amodule and a wall plate according to another embodiment is shown.According to the embodiment of FIG. 42, a module can be hidden behind awall plate, where the wall plate can be screwed into the module. Moreparticularly, a power adapter 4202 comprising a first outlet 4204 and asecond outlet 4206, which has a status indicator 4207. The power adapter4202 also comprises flanges 4208 and 4210 to enable attaching the poweradapter to a junction box. Between the outlet 4206 and the outlet 4208is a module 4212 having an attachment element 4214, shown here as ascrew. The power adapter 4202 and module 4212 can be implemented asdescribed above in reference to FIGS. 32-36. However, the module 4212could include an attachment element 4216 on the front surface of themodule for receiving a corresponding attachment element on the wallplate 4218. According to the exemplary implementation of FIG. 42, thewall plate 4218 comprises a first opening 4220 for aligning with anoutlet 4204 and a second opening 4222 for aligning with the outlet 4206.The wall plate also includes an opening 4224 for receiving a screw thatis screwed into a threaded portion 4216 on the outer surface of themodule 4212. That is, rather than screwing the wall plate into threadedportions of the flanges of the power adapter as in a conventionaldevice, the wall plate is screwed into a threaded portion of a modulethat is inserted into a recess of the power adapter. Therefore, when thewall plate is attached to the power adapter 4202 having the module 4212,the power adapted appears to be a conventional power adapter with noobvious sign of the module 4212.

Turning now to FIG. 43, a block diagram of a power adapter 4301 enablingthe use of either a functional module or a dummy module according to oneembodiment is shown. As shown in FIG. 43, a power source 4301 provideselectrical power to a power adapter 4302, such as through wires in abuilding for example. The electrical power is provided to one or moreoutlets 4303. According to some implementations, the electrical signalfrom the power source 4301 may be conditioned to provide a stablevoltage and prevent any surges or spikes in voltage for example. Theelectrical signal from the power source 4301 is also provided to a powertransformer 4304 to generate reference voltages (shown here as V1 and V+which may have a range of approximately 5 volts for example) coupled tocontacts 4306 of a module 4308. Contacts 4310 enable the application ofcontrol signals to a control circuit 4312. By way of example, the module4308 could be a module that is inserted into a recess of a power adapteras described in FIGS. 32-36, while contacts 4306 could correspond to thecontacts for receiving power (such as to power the module (e.g. awireless module) or provide power for USB connectors). The contacts 4310could be contacts for providing control signals to control the powerprovided to the outlet 4303.

The control circuit 4312 enables the selective application of power tothe outlet 4303, where the control circuit may be bypassed using aswitch 4314 (which may be controlled by module 4308 and may correspondto switch 3233 of FIGS. 32-35 for example). That is, when switch 4314 isclosed (such as when no module is used or a dummy module is used), powerwill be continuously applied to the outlet 4303. However, when switch4314 is open as shown in FIG. 43 (where the bypass around the controlcircuit 4312 is eliminated), the module 4308 will control the operationof the contacts 4310 by way of the contacts 4310, where the controlcircuit 4312 will control the application of power to the outlet 4303.According to one implementation, the control circuit 4312 could be asimple relay that is switched to block current or pass current to theoutlet 4316 and therefore selectively apply power to the outlet 4303.Control circuit 4312 may also provide dimming functionality, where themodule 4308 could provide control signals to the control circuit tocontrol the amount of power to the outlet 4316. By way of example, thecontrol circuit could include a controllable resistive element tocontrol the amount of power provided by the control circuit to theoutlet, and therefore provide a dimming feature. As described above, themodule 4308 may control the control circuit by providing signals to thecontrol circuit to implement a timing pattern, which may be based onoperational information provided to the module 4308 as described above.

Turning now to FIG. 44, a flowchart shows a method of implementing amodule in a power adapter. The flowchart of FIG. 44 could be implementedusing any of the devices or circuits of FIGS. 28-43 for example, orother suitable devices or circuits. A recess is provided in a poweradapter having an outlet at a block 4402. A module is received in therecess at a block 4404. The module could any type of module forproviding additional functionality to the power adapter or controllingany type of operation of the power adapter. A connection is enabledbetween the module and the power adapter at a block 4406. The connectioncould be provided by any type of wired electrical contact or any type ofwireless communication protocol. Power is selectively provided to theoutlet in response to signals from the module at a block 4408. The powercould be applied in response to real time signals from a control device(e.g. a smart phone or a dedicated control device to enable includingimplementing a timing pattern for example), or could be based upon atiming pattern that is provided to and stored in the module or the poweradapter.

Also, the control signals may vary depending upon the type of moduleattached to the power adapter. For example, for a simple switch actuator(such as the module of FIG. 9) that functions to change the state of adevice controlled by a power adapter, the power adapter may merelydetect the signals to change the state of the device in response toinputs by the user. That is, the signals are static and may only changein response to user interactions on a switch actuator (e.g. on and offindications or optionally a dimmer indication) Certain control signalswould indicate that the module is a simple mechanical actuator, and alimited number of signals would be transmitted. However, the poweradapter may also detect that a control module is a smart control modulethat provides signals received by the control module, such as signalsreceived by a wireless connection from a remote control device. Acontrol circuit of the power adapter may detect the type of module thatis attached, and decode the signals based upon the type of module. Byway of example, the module could be a module as described in referenceto FIG. 10 having a wireless communication circuit and a display, wherethe control circuit of the power adapter may not only decode signalsreceived at different times by way of module from a remote controldevice, but also provide information that is shown in the display of thecontrol module. That is, signals may be communicated in 2 directionsbased upon a type of module used. By way of another example of poweradapters comprising dedicated buttons, as shown in FIG. 13, the poweradapter may apply a timing pattern in response to a signal provided fromthe control module (such as a signal associated with the selection of aparticular button), and then apply a timing pattern associated with theselected button. In the case of power adapters comprising an outlet aswill be described in more detail below, the control circuit may controla switch to selectively apply power to the outlet based upon signalsprovided by the module (which may be based upon signals received by awireless communication circuit of the module for example). Accordingly,the power adapter may decode signals that are common for all modulesthat could be attached to the power adapter, or may detect the type ofmodule that is attached, and then decode signals from the module thatmay be expected based upon the type of module (and provide signals tothe module, such as to be displayed on a display of the module, basedupon the type of module).

Turning now to FIGS. 45-48, diagrams show the pairing of power adapterswith a control device, and the mapping of power adapters within abuilding, including different floors of a building for example.According to various implementations, power adapters can be added to auser's network by “claiming” a power adapter, and then the poweradapters on the network can be mapped by a control device, such as asmart phone or dedicated control device for example, to enable a user togroup different power adapters to operate in a similar manner (e.g.follow the same timing pattern). A power adapter 4502 having module 4503(which includes a wireless communication circuit) is claimed by acontrol device 4504 using a wireless connection 4506. The wirelessconnection could be any type of short range connection, and could be adirect connection and an indirect connection. For example, a directconnection could be provided by a Bluetooth connection or a NFCconnection. That is, a wireless communication circuit of the controldevice communicates directly with a corresponding wireless communicationcircuit of the power adapter or, without the need for any interveningdevice outside of the power adapter and the control device (e.g. withoutthe need for a base station). An indirect connection could be providedby way of a base station, such as a WiFi router or a Z-wave or Zigbeebase station or central controller. As shown in FIG. 46, the controldevice 4504 could claim a power adapter 4602 (also having a wirelesscontrol circuit 4603) by way of a wireless connection 4604. While awireless module is shown for the power adapter, it should be understoodthat a wired connection could be used to claim a power adapter.

As shown in FIGS. 47 and 48, different power adapters (shown here asoutlets and switches) are distributed throughout a building, including afirst level in FIG. 47 and a second level in FIG. 48. According to theexample of FIGS. 47 and 48, an outlet or switch that is consideredclaimed is indicated with a number (where an outlet 1 and a switch 1 areclaimed on the first level and an outlet 2 is claimed on the secondlevel). The claimed outlets and switches can be “mapped” to a floorplancorresponding to a level of the building to enable a user to identify anoutlet or switch based upon a location of the outlet or switch. Thefloorplan can be an architectural type floorplan, where wall, windowsand doors can be identified based upon the locations of the claimedoutlets and switches. Alternatively, the control device, such as a smartphone, can map the floorplan using computer vision techniques, such asthrough images or video taken by the camera during a claiming process.For example, the control device could implement Simultaneous Locationand Mapping (SLAM) techniques to map the floorplan. The resultingfloorplan can then be displayed based upon the captured images or video(i.e. where outlets and switches would be displayed with reference toactual items in the rooms) or could be an architectural type floorplanderived from the images or video. Such a mapping could enable theselection of outlets and switches for particular timing patterns, andenable the grouping of certain outlets or switches for particular timingpatterns.

Turning now to FIG. 49, a flow chart shows a method of implementing aplurality of power adapters. The method of FIG. 49 could be implementedas described above in reference to FIGS. 45-48, or according using otherdevices for example. A control device is places within range of a orpower adapter at a block 4902. The power adapter can be claimed on anetwork at a block 4904. A location associated with the power adapter isdetermined at a block 4906. It is then determined whether any more areto be claimed at a block 4908. A mapping of the power adapters areprovided at a block 4910. The naming of the power adapters is enabled ata block 4912. The power adapters are then controlled on the network at ablock 4914.

Turning now to FIG. 50, a block diagram of a power adapter having a testcircuit for testing power connections to contact elements of the poweradapter is shown. According to the arrangement of FIG. 50, a poweradapter 5002, having flanges 5004 and 5006 for coupling the poweradapter 5002 to a junction box, comprises a recess 5008 for receiving amodule 5010, which may be any module for controlling the operation ofthe power adapter, such as a module as described above. The poweradapter 5002 comprises a contact block having a plurality of contacts5002 (shown here by way of example as screw contacts), including a loadcontact 5014, a neutral contact 5016, and a ground contact 5018. Whilethe 3 contacts are shown by way of example, it should be understood thatother contacts could be implemented, such as a contact for enabling theuse of the power adapter in a 3-way connection.

A test circuit 5020 is coupled to the plurality of contact elements5012, and to one or more contacts 5022 that are exposed on a surface ofthe recess and enable the communication of signals with the module 5010by way of corresponding contact 5024 of the module 5010. As will bedescribed in more detail below in reference to FIGS. 51 and 52, the testcircuit can determine if the contacts of the contact block 5012 areproperly wired to electrical wires of the junction box that providepower to the power adapter. The test may be performed automatically whena module is attached to the power adapter, and/or in response to a userinitiating a testing of the electrical connections associated with apower adapter, for example by accessing a user interface 5026. Resultsof the test can be provided by way of any audio (e.g. a distinctivebeeping or voice message), visual (e.g. an LED or display) or tactileindication (e.g. vibration) of a result. By way example, an indicationcan be provided using display 5028. While contacts of the contact block5012 are shown by way of example, it should be understood that wiresextending from the power adapter could be used to enable the applicationof power to the power adapter 5002.

Turning now to FIG. 51, a block diagram of a circuit for testing theconnections associated with a power adapter when the contacts areelectrically connected to wires providing power to the power adapter isshown. The test circuit 5020 comprise circuits for comparing voltages atthe contacts of the contact block 5012. According to the implementationof FIG. 51, one or more comparator circuits are used to compare voltagesat the contact 5014-5018 to determine whether the power adapter isimproperly wired or not functioning properly. According to oneimplementation, a first comparator circuit 5102 is coupled to the loadcontact 5014 (to receive the voltage on the load contact) and coupled tothe neutral contact 5016 (to receive the voltage on the neutralcontact). A second comparator circuit 5104 is coupled to the loadcontact 5014 (to receive the voltage on the load contact) and coupled tothe ground contact 5018 (to receive the voltage on the ground contact).A third comparator circuit 5106 is coupled to the neutral contact 5014(to receive the voltage on the neutral contact) and coupled to theground contact 5018 (to receive the voltage on the ground contact). Afourth comparator circuit 5108 is coupled to the ground contact 4918 (toreceive the voltage on the ground contact) and the earth ground (toreceive a voltage associated with the earth ground). Earth ground is areference point in an electrical circuit from which other voltages aremeasured, and may also a common return path for current in the circuitthat is provided by a physical connection to the earth (such as by aconductive stake driven into the ground). A comparator circuit 5110 mayalso be implemented to compare the neutral contact 5116 to earth ground.The switch 5111 may be controlled by control signals from the controlcircuit 5112 by way of a control line 5114.

The comparator circuits 5102-5110 may comprise voltage comparators forexample. According to other implementations, the comparator circuits maybe adapted to detect currents within the power adapter when the poweradapter is operating to detect abnormal operating conditions of thepower adapter or a device powered by the power adapter, or detect powerusage by a device powered by the power adapter. While comparators5102-5110 are shown by way of example, it should be understood thatadditional comparators could be implemented to compare any voltagedetected at various nodes in the power adapter and generate informationthat may be beneficial in determining whether a power adapter isinstalled correctly (e.g. is correctly wired) or is operating correctly(e.g. is not a defective product). While multiple comparator circuitsare shown, it should be understood that a single comparator could beimplemented, where the nodes (e.g. load, neutral, ground and earthground) could be selectively coupled to a comparator. For example, aswitching element 5111 coupled to receive voltages at various nodescould enable the selection of inputs to a single comparator circuit.

A control circuit 5112 may be coupled to the comparators 5102-5110 toreceive output signals generated by the comparators indicating theresults of the various comparisons. By way of example, the comparatorcircuits could generate a difference in the voltages on the linescoupled to the comparator, or could provide a result representative ofthe difference in voltages. While the control circuit 5112 may beconfigured to process information and communicate test results to reducethe number of signal lines to a control circuit 5116 of the module 5010,the outputs of the comparator circuit could be provided directly to themodule 5010. For example, the control circuit 5112 could receivedetected voltages values, where the control circuit 5116 could determinean improper wiring condition based upon the detected voltage values andprovide a message on the display 5028. It should be noted that a testingfunction can include circuits that are distributed between the poweradapter and the module. That is, while voltages associated with thepower adapter could be detected by a circuit in the power adapter, suchas by one or more voltage detectors, other processing to detect improperwiring or a defective power adapter or module may be performed in thepower adapter (such as by using control circuit 5112 of the poweradapter), by the module (using control circuit 5116 of the module), ordistributed between the power adapter and the module.

The control circuit 5112 may not only receive signals from the testcircuit 5020, but may also provide control signals that enable thetesting of the power adapter 4902 to the test circuit 4902. According toone implementation, a test of the connections of the power adapter maybe performed whenever a module is attached to a power adapter. Forexample, the control circuit of one the power adapter and the module maydetect the connection of the module to the power adapter, and initiate atesting of the connections of the power adapter. For example, in theimplementation of FIG. 51, the control circuit 5116 may detect one ormore outputs of the control circuit 5112 to determine whether the poweradapter is improperly wired or is defective. Alternatively or inaddition to an automatic testing initiated by one of the control circuit5112 or the control circuit 5116, a user interface element 5118, shownhere as a button by way of example, may be used to initiate a testing ofthe connections by the test circuit 5020. That is, a user may desirethat a check be performed to make sure that the power adapter isproperly wired and operating correctly. The test results can then beprovided to the user. By way of example, the test results can bedisplayed on a display 5028.

Turning now to FIG. 52, another block diagram of a circuit for testingthe connections associated with a power adapter when the contacts areelectrically connected to wires providing power to the power adapter isshown. According to the implementation of FIG. 52, a switching circuit5202 coupled to the various power nodes and earth ground enables theconnection of the nodes to single voltage detector 5204 that can providea measured voltage value to the control circuit 5202 (or directly to thecontrol circuit 5116 as described above). The voltage detector cansequentially detect voltages at different nodes to determine whether thepower adapter is improperly wired or not operating properly. While asingle voltage detector is shown, it should be understood that multiplevoltage detectors could be implemented. Also, while voltages are shownas being detected, it should be understood that currents be detectedinstead of voltages or in addition to voltages.

Turning now to FIG. 53, a plurality of different known conditions ofimproper wiring are shown. There are different conditions that can bedetected to determine whether a power adapter is wired properly andworking properly. A first outlet 5302 is shown wired correctly, wherethe line or hot (H) wire is connected to a hot terminal 5308 of outlet5302, the neutral line is connected to the neutral terminal 5310, andground line is connected to the ground terminal 5312. However, as shownwith plug 5304, the ground terminal is connected to the neutral terminalto form an improper ground connection, commonly called a bootleg ground.A particularly dangerous condition can exit when there is not only animproper bootleg ground connection as with the outlet 5304, but the lineand neutral connections are reversed, commonly known as a reversepolarity bootleg ground. What makes this improper wiring conditionparticularly dangerous is that the ground connection, which isimproperly connected to a power line, will make the device plugged intooutlet, such as the metal housing of a toaster for example, have anelectrical charge and may lead to an electrical shock or anelectrocution of the user of the toaster.

While continuity testers can be used to test power adapters by insertingthe test prongs into the outlets of a power adapter, such testing willnot determine some certain improper wiring conditions, such as theimproper wiring of plug 5306. A conventional 3-light cube testercommonly used to determine if an outlet has been wired will not detectthe improper wiring of outlet 5304 or outlet 5306. In order to detectthe improper wiring of outlet 5304, it is necessary to use a voltmeter,where the voltage between ground and neutral will be very close to zero.However, to detect a reverse polarity bootleg ground connection, it isnecessary to connect a prong of a voltmeter to earth ground, and testeach of the hot, neutral and ground terminals with respect to earthground. Because a recess adapted to receive a module provides access tomeasurements associated not only with the hot, neutral and groundterminals of an outlet, but also an earth ground, it is possible todetect the improper wiring conditions of outlet 5304 and 5306. That is,a test circuit could not only be coupled to the hot, neutral and groundcontacts to detect voltages at those contacts, but could also detect avoltage of earth ground to use as a reference voltage. Because ajunction box receiving the power adapter is at earth ground, the voltageat earth ground can be detected by determining the voltage of thejunction box, such as by determining the voltage of a flange of thepower adapter connected to the junction box. A test circuit internal tothe power adapter could detect the voltage at earth ground by providinga conductor coupled to a flange of the power adapter, as shown by way ofexample in FIG. 29 using electrical connection 2916. It should beunderstood that test circuits could be implemented in power adaptersreceiving any type of modules as described in reference to FIGS. 1-53.

Turning now to FIG. 54, a block diagram of a circuit for testing theconnections associated with a power adapter having an outlet is shown.More particularly, a test module 5402 has a test result indicator 5404,shown here by way of example as LED indicators. The different LEDindicators may provide different indications of the type of errorassociated with the wiring of the power adapter in a junction box, suchas described above in reference to FIG. 53 for example. The poweradapter of FIG. 54 could be configured to retain the test module 5402during normal operation, or could just receive the testing module fortesting purposes and replace it with a dummy module, a functional moduleor a control module as described above. The test module 5402 could beimplemented as described above in FIGS. 51-53. For example, a voltmetercould be implemented in the power adapter 3202, and provide voltagemeasurements to a test module 5402 by way of contacts 3308. A testmodule could be implemented as a dedicated test module according to theimplementation of the power adapters of FIGS. 1-43, or as a part of acontrol module as described in FIGS. 1-43.

Turning now to FIG. 55, a flow diagram shows a method a testingoperation of a power adapter, and may be implemented using the devicesand circuits of FIGS. 50-54 for example, or other suitable circuits. Atest circuit is implemented in a power adapter for testing electricalconnections to the power adapter at a block 5502. It is then determinedwhether a control module has been attached to the power adapter at ablock 5504. If not, the power adapter waits for a period of time at ablock 5506 before rechecking for a power adapter at block 5504. If acontrol module has been attached it is also determined whether the poweradapter is adapted to automatically perform an electrical connectiontest at a block 5508. If not, it is determined whether the user of thepower adapter has enabled an electrical connection test at a block 5510.If a test of an electrical connection has not been enable, the poweradapter waits for a period of time at a block 5512. If the power adapteris adapted to automatically perform an electrical connection test or auser has enabled an electrical connection test, the power adapterperforms one or more of tests to compare voltages applied to contacts ofthe power adapter at a block 5514. After performing the test, it isdetermined whether a test has failed at a block 5516. If so, the user isinformed that a test has failed at a block 5518. If the power adapterhas not failed a test, an indication may be optionally provided toindicate that a test has passed at a block 5520.

It can therefore be appreciated that new circuits for, systems for andmethods of implementing modular power adapters have been described. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerousalternatives and equivalents will be seen to exist that incorporate thedisclosed invention. As a result, the invention is not to be limited bythe foregoing embodiments, but only by the following claims.

I claim:
 1. A plug-in power adapter comprising: a plug having aplurality of prongs, wherein a first prong of the plurality of prongs isadapted to receive power; a transformer coupled to receive the power byway of the first prong of the plurality of prongs, wherein thetransformer is adapted to generate a power signal on a power signal linecoupled to the transformer; an input portion comprising a controlbutton, wherein the control button is accessible by a user of theplug-in power adapter and enables communication with the plug-in poweradapter; and a plurality of contact elements on a surface of the plug-inpower adapter and accessible by the user of the plug-in power adapter;wherein the plurality of contact elements is adapted to be coupled to asecond plurality of contact elements of a module adapted to be removablyattached to the plug-in power adapter; and wherein a contact element ofthe plurality of contact elements is adapted to receive a controlsignal.
 2. The plug-in power adapter of claim 1 wherein the controlbutton enables a reset of the plug-in power adapter.
 3. The plug-inpower adapter of claim 1 further comprising a control circuit coupled tothe transformer and the contact element of the plurality of contactelements.
 4. The plug-in power adapter of claim 1 further comprising amodule that is removably attached to the plug-in power adapter, whereinthe module comprises a motion detector.
 5. The plug-in power adapter ofclaim 1 further comprising a module that is removably attached to theplug-in power adapter, wherein the module comprises an ambient lightdetector.
 6. The plug-in power adapter of claim 1 further comprising amodule that is removably attached to the plug-in power adapter, whereinthe module comprises a display for displaying a time.
 7. The plug-inpower adapter of claim 1 further comprising a wireless communicationcircuit that is adapted to provide a wireless connection using a shortrange wireless communication protocol.
 8. The plug-in power adapter ofclaim 7 further comprising a wireless communication circuit that isadapted to provide a wireless connection using a local wirelesscommunication protocol.
 9. A plug-in power adapter comprising: a plughaving a plurality of prongs, wherein a first prong of the plurality ofprongs is adapted to receive power; a transformer coupled to receive thepower by way of the first prong of the plurality of prongs, wherein thetransformer is adapted to generate a power signal on a power signal linecoupled to the transformer; a control circuit coupled to receive thepower signal; a wireless communication circuit coupled to the controlcircuit; and a plurality of contact elements that is accessible on theplug-in power adapter; wherein the plurality of contact elements isadapted to be coupled to a second plurality of contact elements of amodule adapted to be removably attached to the plug-in power adapter;and wherein a contact element of the plurality of contact elements isadapted to receive a control signal.
 10. The plug-in power adapter ofclaim 9 further comprising a control button accessible on the plug-inpower adapter to enable resetting the plug-in power adapter.
 11. Theplug-in power adapter of claim 9 wherein the wireless communicationcircuit is adapted to receive signals using a short range wirelesscommunication protocol.
 12. The plug-in power adapter of claim 9 whereinthe wireless communication circuit is adapted to receive signals using alocal wireless communication protocol.
 13. The plug-in power adapter ofclaim 9 further comprising a module having a second plurality of contactelements coupled to the plurality of contact elements, wherein thecontrol signal is provided from a second contact element of the secondplurality of contact elements to the contact element of the plurality ofcontact elements.
 14. The plug-in power adapter of claim 13 wherein themodule comprises a motion detector, and the module provides a controlsignal to the control circuit by way of the contact element of theplurality of contact elements in response to a detection of motion. 15.The plug-in power adapter of claim 13 wherein the module comprises anambient light detector, and the module provides a control signal to thecontrol circuit by way of the contact element of the plurality ofcontact elements in response to a detection of ambient light.
 16. Theplug-in power adapter of claim 9 wherein the control circuit is adaptedto receive a second control signal from the wireless communicationcircuit.
 17. A plug-in power adapter comprising: a plug having aplurality of prongs, wherein a first prong of the plurality of prongs isadapted to receive power; a transformer coupled to receive the powerfrom the first prong of the plurality of prongs, wherein the transformeris adapted to generate a power signal on a power signal line coupled tothe transformer; a control circuit coupled to receive the power signal;a wireless communication circuit adapted to receive wirelesscommunication signals according to a wireless communication protocol;and a plurality of contact elements comprising a first contact elementthat is adapted to receive a first control signal; wherein the pluralityof contact elements is adapted to be coupled to a second plurality ofcontact elements of a module adapted to be removably attached to theplug-in power adapter; and wherein the control circuit receives a secondcontrol signal by way of the wireless communication circuit.
 18. Theplug-in power adapter of claim 17 wherein the wireless communicationcircuit is adapted to provide a wireless connection using a short rangewireless communication protocol.
 19. The plug-in power adapter of claim18 wherein the wireless communication circuit is adapted to provide awireless connection using a local wireless communication protocol. 20.The plug-in power adapter of claim 17 further comprising a controlbutton for resetting the plug-in power adapter.
 21. The plug-in poweradapter of claim 17 further comprising a module having a secondplurality of contact elements coupled to the plurality of contactelements, wherein the first control signal is provided from a secondcontact element of the second plurality of contact elements to the firstcontact element of the plurality of contact elements.
 22. The plug-inpower adapter of claim 21 wherein the module comprises a motiondetector, and the module provides a control signal to the controlcircuit by way of the first contact element of the plurality of contactelements in response to a detection of motion.
 23. The plug-in poweradapter of claim 21 wherein the module comprises an ambient lightdetector, and the module provides a control signal to the controlcircuit by way of the first contact element of the plurality of contactelements in response to a detection of an ambient light.
 24. The plug-inpower adapter of claim 21 wherein the module comprises a display adaptedto display a time.
 25. A method of implementing a plug-in power adapter,the method comprising: configuring a first prong of a plurality ofprongs of a plug to receive power; transforming the power to generate apower signal on a power signal line of the plug-in power adapter;providing an input portion comprising a control button on a surface ofthe plug-in power adapter, wherein the control button enablescommunication with the plug-in power adapter; and providing a pluralityof contact elements accessible to a user of the plug-in power adapter;wherein the plurality of contact elements is adapted to be coupled to asecond plurality of contact elements of a module adapted to be removablyattached to the plug-in power adapter; and wherein the plurality ofcontact elements is adapted to provide a power signal on a first contactelement of the plurality of contact elements and to receive a controlsignal on a second contact element of the plurality of contact elements.26. The method of claim 25 further comprising enabling a reset of theplug-in power adapter by way of the control button.
 27. The method ofclaim 25 further comprising receiving wireless communication signalsaccording to a short range wireless communication protocol.
 28. Themethod of claim 27 further comprising receiving wireless communicationsignals according to a local wireless communication protocol.
 29. Themethod of claim 25 further comprising receiving a module having a sensorand a second plurality of contact elements, and providing a controlsignal to a control circuit of the plug-in power adapter in response toa detection by the sensor of the module.
 30. The method of claim 29wherein providing a control signal to a control circuit of the plug-inpower adapter in response to a detection by the sensor of the modulecomprises providing a control signal in response to a detection of oneof motion or ambient light.